Rohit and Raina dismiss short-ball worries

Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina, two of the young Indian batsmen who were troubled by bouncers during India's underwhelming World Twenty20 campaign in June, have said they are comfortable facing the short ball.

India were among the favourites for the tournament held in England, but their highly rated batting line-up came unstuck against a barrage of bouncers, losing all three matches in the Super Eights stage.

Rohit flopped when used as a makeshift opener, dismissed attempting the pull in the crucial games against West Indies and England, after a great run in the IPL. "The pull is my favourite shot. You can't judge us based on a couple of matches," he said at the sidelines of a promotional event in Bangalore. "In fact, I was doing well in South Africa (in the IPL) against the short ball. I know we didn't do well in the World T20, but that happens."

Another batsman who came into the tournament with a burgeoning reputation only to fall flat was Raina, who has also said that too much shouldn't be read into the defeats.

"It is unfair to judge based on our performance in a couple of games," he said. "Both Rohit and I have handled short balls well in the past and we have hit them out of the ground as well. World T20 was a bad experience, but if you have any doubts about my handling of the short ball, you will get the answer soon."

Raina missed the short tour of the Caribbean after the World Twenty20 due to a thumb injury but has recovered and is in the one-day squad for the upcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka. Rohit was in the depleted side that played West Indies, but made only 15 runs in three innings and has been dropped. Like Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan, he is also recuperating from a shoulder injury, and has targeted an early return to the international stage.

"It's very disappointing to lose your place in the side, but these things happen in cricket," he said. "There are many senior cricketers who have advised me to come out of that feeling quickly. There is a lot of domestic cricket lined up and I will work hard to come back into the national side. My immediate task is to get fit and there are a lots of things to work upon."