Younger players need to be made ready for other formats, says Rohit Sharma

Rajkot: As India and Bangladesh get ready to lock horns in the second T20I of the three-match series, skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday said that the side is looking to give younger players an opportunity to make them ready for the other formats of the game.

"The key players are not involved so we are trying the younger players who are there with us in the squad. In the other formats, we have our entire squad playing those matches so this is the format where we want to try younger players to make them ready for the other formats of the game," Sharma told reporters.

"You have seen many players who have emerged from T20I format and then they have gone on to play ODIs and Tests. Having said that, it does not mean that we are not looking to win the matches. Winning games is our topmost priority. We want our bench strength to be really good," he added.

Bangladesh had defeated India on Sunday by seven wickets in the first T20I of the three-match series. This win was Bangladesh's first over India in the shortest format of the game.

Having lost the first match, skipper Rohit said that the focus of the team is to perform collectively. He also said that the conditions in Delhi for the first T20I were not ideal.

"The focus will be on the team to perform. Collectively all of us need to come together, the batters need to get the job done and the bowlers need to come out and take those crucial wickets. That will be the idea, we are not focussing on any individual department because we lost as a team, not as individuals," Sharma said.

"The conditions were not ideal. The pitch was on the softer side so shot-making was not that easy. We have to assess as to what sort of score would be enough on different pitches. When you are playing on softer pitches, you have to assess what score will be the best," he added.

The right-handed Sharma went managed to score just 9 runs in the first match of the series, however with this knock, he surpassed Virat Kohli to become the leading run-scorer in the shortest format of the game.

32-year-old Sharma said that the side would make a change to their approach in the next match and he also opined that the pitch in Rajkot would be different than in Delhi.

"We will make a little change to our approach. We were playing according to the pitch in the first T20I, but if the pitch is better in the next match, then our approach would be different in the next two T20Is. I think this pitch would be better than that in Delhi, so our approach would be different," Sharma said.

"I am playing for my country, it is the biggest motivation to play for your country. It does not matter what format you are playing, it is about trying to give your best. Formats will keep changing, knowing that I am one of 1.5 billion people who represent their country, it really keeps me going and keeps me motivated," he added.

India and Bangladesh will take on each other in the second T20I of the three-match series on Thursday, November 7 at Rajkot.