Captain Rohit Sharma has stressed on the need for a “healthy atmosphere” in the team so that the youngsters feel secure and can execute their skills fearlessly.

Importantly, Rohit had spoken on similar lines during his first media conference, on the eve of the first T20I versus New Zealand in Jaipur, after being announced as India’s full-time T20I captain.

“When you’re playing bilaterals, you need to tick certain boxes, and we are trying to do that. We are trying to create a healthy atmosphere, giving the younger players security so that they can go out and play fearlessly,” Rohit said after India swept the T20I series 3-0 by winning the final game by 73 runs at Eden Gardens on Sunday.

“In the first meeting that we had, we spoke about this very clearly. We told them, ‘if you’re trying to do something for the team, that act will never get unnoticed. You will be noticed when you raise your hand and try to put pressure on yourself and try to do something for the team’. That’s the job of the captain and coach: to tell the players, ‘we do understand what you’re trying to do for the team’.

“You tell them to take their chances, and even if it doesn’t come off, you still back them because we know what they are trying to do for the team,” Rohit emphasised.

Fielding a fairly inexperienced side in these three T20Is, the team management certainly had reasons to be pleased with the performance of Harshal Patel, who was very impressive in this year’s IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore, becoming the highest wicket-taker. Along with Harshal, bowler all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer too made his debut in the just-concluded series, putting in a decent effort with both bat and ball.

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who had played just one T20I in four years before getting the nod for the series, also shone, striking thrice at the Eden to be named Player of the Match. However, the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Avesh Khan couldn’t find a place in the XI.