Rohit Sharma played two scintillating knocks in the last ten days, which not only fetched him new records but also showed that the 30-year-old could take the added responsibility of leading the side from the front under pressure.
The team had suffered one of its most humiliating loss in Rohit’s first one-day international as captain at Dharamsala and it was apparent that the team needed something special to turn things around.
The 30-year-old responded with his third double century in one-dayers in Mohali and on Friday scored the joint fastest century in T20 internationals to help India clinch the series with one match to spare.
And the way he went about scoring those 118 runs in just 43 balls with 10 sixes and 12 boundaries, many would have thought that Rohit could well be on his way to become the first double centurion in the shortest format of the game.
But Rohit insisted that he wasn’t thinking of any landmark while going for his shots and his primary target was to score as many runs for the team.
“I wasn’t thinking of any targets. That’s what I do in all the formats. My job is to score as many runs as possible – not 100s or 200s or 300s,” he told reporters in the post match media conference on Friday.
“There are times when you don’t get runs. There are times when you get runs. That is all part and parcel of the game. Never do I ever walk out thinking that I want to score a century or a double century. I just want to give my best and get the team a victory,” he added.
Rohit clobbered almost all the Sri Lankan bowlers all round the park in Indore and even the commentators could not stop gushing when he dissected the field to find the boundaries even after the Powerplay overs.
“I want to score all around the park and not just one area. It’s important to explore the fielding the opposition keeps for me. The field is spread after six overs. I try and see where I can find my boundary options. It’s important to be able to play with the field.”
“In all formats, I try to do that. You can’t just hit in one area, you become predictable then. It’s always important to score runs all over the field and that’s my strength,” he added.
Asked if he surprised himself with a particular shot, Rohit replied, “I don’t play any of those flamboyant shots. I just try to hit the ball in the area I look to hit. All the shots please me since it takes a lot to pull that off.
“Even when you defend you should like that as well. It’s not just about hitting boundaries and sixes even the ball hit in the gap should make you more happy,” he said.
Making the most of opportunities
Speaking about the captaincy and the added pressure that comes with the responsibility, the 30-year-old who has led Mumbai Indians to two Indian Premier League titles admits he has given a lot of thought to the job at hand and insisted that he was looking to make every minute on the ground count.
“There is lot of pressure, specially after first match in Dharamsala. We were in such a position that we were on the verge of getting all out on our lowest score.... I thought a lot about my captaincy and team and that it is very difficult. We are representing 140 crore people and there is lot of pressure of that.
“Since I am leading the side for the first time, there was pressure and there will be pressure when we play next match in Mumbai. I don’t know when will I captain the side again, so every minute spent on ground is important for me,” he said.
South Africa will be a different challenge
Responding to a question on whether the complete domination over Sri Lanka would help the Indian team in South Africa, Rohit responded that the momentum generated would help in building the confidence of the team but added that the key would be to adapt to the conditions there sooner.
“Every tour has its own challenges and every team doesn’t have the same bowling attack. When you travel overseas, the skills and mental approach need to be changed, nothing else. You can carry the confidence you have generated from the recent success in the Test, ODI and T20 series, so as a team we are on a high and the confidence will help us in South Africa,” he added.
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