Blessed with talent and yet failing to make that final leap of faith, Rohit Sharma has often exasperated fans and critics alike. When he toured Sri Lanka recently, Rohit suffered the horrors with a poor sequence of scores – 5,0,0,4 and 4.
However on his current trip to the island that gifted the word ‘serendipity’ to the English language, Rohit has made a fine start with scores of 37 and 56 respectively in the two ICC World Twenty20 warm-up games against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
The young Indian batsman wants to build on these starts but largely rued the five-wicket defeat against Pakistan on Monday.
Excerpts from post-match press conference:
The pitch
“The wicket was very good to bat on and as we saw two 180 plus scores were made. It was a typical Sri Lankan wicket and once you apply yourself, you will get runs here.”
The past and present
“Talking about the past, even that tour (of Sri Lanka) was very frustrating but everyone showed their faith in me and I have certainly worked very hard on my batting, my fitness as well and yes it is showing. It is just a start and there is still a long way in the tournament and unfortunately things didn’t go our way. 186 was a good target on this wicket because I thought there was a bit of help for the spinners but it was one of those days when things didn’t come together. We have one more day before our actual game (against Afghanistan) in the 19th. We should come back.”
The opening blues
“It is very important in any format to get a good start. They have been batting really and there is no doubt and it is just that I am sure in the coming days they will come good. They are very experienced and it is just a matter of one game.”
Bowling woes
“Actually it was a warm-up game but we were very focussed and intense and we wanted too win this game. It was just that our bowling didn’t click together and that was frustrating. If you got to win a game, everything has to click together. Our bowlers did a good job in the first game and helped us defend 146 (against Sri Lanka), which was not a par score on that pitch. I am sure we will come well as the tournament progresses.”
Self-analysis
“After my Sri Lankan tour I had a 25-day break and I made full use of it. I practised at BKC (in Mumbai) and at the NCA. Hard work never stops and whether you are in form or out of form, you got to just keep working hard. I will try my best to do what the team needs me to do. I wanted to make full use of these warm-up games as it is important to enter a tournament with good form. At the same time I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself.”
