India have momentum to take on Australia - Rohit

Despite losing to Australia twice in a row in the league phase, India are confident they have the advantage going into the CB Series finals. Much of that confidence comes from their two victories in the last three games, both against Sri Lanka, and their fight against Australia despite losing to them, Rohit Sharma, the middle-order batsman, said on Friday.

"We've been doing well in the last couple of games and we are confident about the final," Rohit said as the Indians held their first practice session at the SCG for the first final on Sunday.

In Adelaide, India failed to chase a small target of 203 and folded up for 153 while in Sydney they suffered early blows before Gautam Gambhir and later Robin Uthappa took the fight to Australia.

"We are not thinking about the fact that they've beaten us twice," Rohit said. "Even in Sydney, from 4 for 51 we managed to reach close to 300, so our confidence has gone up."

Rohit has been one of the finds of the tour so far, despite a few low scores. Against Australia in Melbourne, his unbeaten 39 featured in a match-winning unbeaten 58-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Mahendra Singh Dhoni. In the next game against Sri Lanka in Canberra, he scored an unbeaten 70, though India lost by eight wickets in a rain-affected match.

Rohit admits he has not been able to remain consistent and it is important to "settle down first, play a few overs and then be aggressive throughout." Speaking on the inconsistent nature of the batting order, especially at the top, Dhoni had commented that some of the players were scoring in "patches" and Rohit was one of them.

However, Rohit was confident he'd progress fast as it was all part of the learning curve. "I have learned how to build an innings, especially after the partnership I had with Dhoni in Melbourne," he said. That partnership came against some of the best spells of fast bowling in the tournament from Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark.

In Adelaide, the pair put on 63 for the fourth wicket against Sri Lanka after being 3 for 35. Once again, Rohit showed the character to withstand pressure by staying calm, rotating the strike and keeping the fielders busy. However, he made only 24 and fell to a rush of blood. Then at the same venue against Australia, Dhoni's rearguard action after a top-order collapse was halted by a calf injury; Rohit came on as his runner but was slow off the blocks for a tight single and his full-stretch dive was not enough to save his captain.

"It was the umpire's mistake because the umpire had asked me not take starts", Rohit said, adding his captain was supportive instead. "Dhoni said these sort of things happen and I would run for him the next time."

At 20 years and 12 games old, Rohit has shown the class and the timing that some of the best batsmen possess and he is being spoken of as the future of Indian batting. He appears to understand the responsibility that comes with it. "People expect something out of me, so it's a challenge for me. I should take it in a positive way and keep doing what I've been doing."