Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has been the glue that has held this team together over the years and with the veteran batsman reaching the age of 37, questions have been raised as to whether he is ready to retire, especially with the emergence of new and exciting talent in the form of Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan to take his place at the top of the order. In an interaction with former teammate Dinesh Karthik for JioCinema, Rohit delved deep into the topic of retirement and revealed when he would be comfortable leaving the world of cricket behind.
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Asked if he was looking at a staggered retirement, meaning he would retire from ODIs and T20s to concentrate on Test cricket, or if he would quit cricket altogether after his retirement, Rohit said, “I think if one day if I wake up and feel I’m not good enough, I’m not feeling good enough to play the sport. I’ll just talk it out and let them know about it. But honestly, I feel in the last two or three years my cricket has actually gone up and I’m playing the best cricket,”
“I’m not too much of a stat person who looks into numbers and all of that. Yes, scoring big runs, those numbers are important, but eventually there is a culture of playing cricket in this team that I was focusing on and I am still focusing on. I wanted to bring a certain change. You know, players going out there and playing with a lot of freedom. That statistical side of cricket, I want to take completely out of this team.” the Indian captain added.
Rohit also shared some advice for the youngsters in his team, telling them not to focus on numbers and instead look to play fearless cricket. He said, “People are not looking at numbers. People are not looking at their personal scores. Play the game. Numbers will take care of itself if you are playing well. If you’re fearless, If your mind is clean and clear, other things will take care of itself. But don’t look out. Go out there looking for ok, can I get a 50 here? can I get 100? Obviously all those numbers are good. It will happen. But just take that completely out of your mind and just focus on the game.”
The Indian captain had earlier made headlines on Saturday when he was not on the field for the third and final day of the 5th Test against England due to a ‘stiff back’ and his deputy in the side, Jasprit Bumrah, took command to steer the Men in Blue to a comprehensive victory in Dharamshala. Meanwhile, Rohit’s carefully crafted century in the first innings of the Test match also played a crucial role in taking India to 400 and dashing England’s chances of victory.
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Published: 10 Mar 2024, 09:06 AM IST