‘Vice-captaincy a huge honour’: Rohit Sharma looking forward to first series in leadership role

Team India’s new vice-captain Rohit Sharma is excited with the new role. The opener did not get to play in the Test series and is keen to make amends in the five-match one-day series which begins on Sunday, PTI reported.

“Firstly, it is a huge honour to be appointed as the vice-captain. Ten years ago, I was only thinking of playing for India. Being the vice-captain now feels really, really good,” said Sharma.

Sharma is used to take additional responsibility on the field, having captained Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League to three titles. However, there is a vast difference between both the responsibilities. “It’s a different ballgame completely. IPL and when you come and play international cricket, it is completely different. But again, the excitement and the energy level is the same. So yes, nothing changes too much. I am the vice-captain here, there I was the captain, and so I was more in front. Here I have to play a little behind-the-scene role,” said Sharma.

‘Learnt a lot from ups and downs’

Sharma also reflected on his roller-coaster career in international cricket so far. He has been unable to cement a spot in the first-choice Test eleven, but only wants to look ahead to what is the second half of the tour.

“Firstly, it’s gone very fast, those ten years. Yes, there has been ups and downs but that’s how it is for any sportsman, and that’s how it should be. You get to learn a lot more from ups and downs,” he said.

He has spent more than a decade in international cricket but Sharma still treats everyday as a new day. “There were so many things in ten years I have learnt. Especially in limited overs format initially when I came in, I sort of used to play too many shots at once and now I have realised that it cannot be going out and just slogging every time. You got to understand the situation, the conditions and that’s what I have learnt over these years with so many coaches around,” he said.

No Tests, no problem

The batsman sat out the Test series and was forced to watch from the sidelines as India opted to play with five full-time bowlers. “Nobody likes to sit out. But again, it all depends on the team dynamics, what the captain and the coach wants to play. And you got to accept the fact and move forward. I kept working on my skills, my ability, wherever I need to work on and see where I can improve as a cricketer. You cannot sit here and waste time,” he said.

The fact that he has scored a world record ODI high-score of 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014-15 should help bolster his spirits. The batsman was one among three players, along with KL Rahul and Axar Patel, who took part in optional nets on Wednesday. “I have played these guys so many times now, we have come to Sri Lanka many times and we understand the conditions well. You know the kind of cricket you want to play, and the opposition, and the kind of bowling dynamics they have. We played these guys a lot many times and that will help,” he said.

Though India beat Sri Lanka comprehensively the Test series, Sharma warned that it will not be easy against them in the 50-over format.

“I have no idea about their squad for this ODI series but what they had in the Champions Trophy was a very good side. They beat us quite comfortably. So you know in one-day cricket they are a very good team. We have just got to do what we have been doing for the past few years. We got to stick to our strengths and play good cricket,” said Sharma.