Dhoni feels I have the ability to open in ODIs: Rohit Sharma
"When
you play international cricket, there are times when playing cricket
alone isn't the only thing eating into your energy," Rohit Sharma said.
(TOI Photo)
After
a fruitful outing in the Champions Trophy, his new found role as
one-day opener, a feel of the South African conditions during the 'A'
tour and finally with some runs under the belt, Rohit Sharma's career is
back on the right track. He spoke with TOI on Wednesday, explaining why
MS Dhoni may be placing so much trust in him, his own effort in getting better and what he thinks the future could have in store.
Excerpts...
Last year, around the same time, you were going through one of the worst phases. A lot has changed since. You're opening the innings for India and have been impressive...
Yes, I clearly remember what I was going through back then. I was going through a really tough time. The World T20 campaign was a disaster, my personal form during the tour of Sri Lanka was very bad. But then, 2013 has been pleasant so far, hope it continues.
Your new role, as an opener... how did that come about. MS Dhoni had tried it once earlier (during World T20 in 2009). And now again...
We (Rohit and MSD) haven't spoken at length about this. But whatever little MS spoke with me, he did convey that he thinks I have the ability to open the batting and counter the new ball. I'm glad he finds me capable of it and I've also been working hard on it.
Opening the batting is a different challenge altogether, especially with the new ICC rules.
Oh yes, facing two new balls is not easy. The new rules have had an impact and we're happy as a team we could manage to do well and adjust to them. As far as opening is concerned, it is about how mentally strong you are, what kind of pressure can you manage take and deliver.
Is pressure an overrated word in sport? What does it mean to you?
When you play international cricket, there are times when playing cricket alone isn't the only thing eating into your energy. That's probably the case in first class cricket. But as things move on, a sportsperson begins to understand the importance of factors surrounding the game. Be it the media, critics, fans, the competition - not just in terms of the opposition but also in making it to the team and continuing. So pressure can be a very abstract term when all these factors come into play. I try and stay away as much as possible from as many things I can.
Can you give an instance when you did that?
Last year, in Sri Lanka. I wasn't scoring my, wasn't even reaching double digits. It was really getting to me, frustration was at its peak. I used to keep asking myself day in, day out why I wasn't getting it right and there were no answers. The frustration wasn't because the coach or the captain was putting pressure on me or losing faith. It was inside my own mind that I was fighting a battle. I was making things complicated for my own self. It took time for me to realize that there was no point in doing that. There are times in our careers when these things happen. I gradually learnt. I was back in Sri Lanka later that year and I did reasonably well.
How encouraging is it when you have teammates of the same age as you. Does conversation become any easy as compared to having to deal with a senior?
Trust me it's great when you have guys around you who are of the same age as you. You can simply chill, take your mind off, just chat about something else. These things matter especially when things don't go your way. You can't do that much when the seniors are around. Sometimes you're too much in awe of them, sometimes you're scared to approach.
In the last six to eight months, you've looked like a very different guy in the mid-field, at point or cover. A lot more agile, quicker as a fielder...
Maybe it is the approach, I have worked on a lot of changes and gradually inculcated them. Frankly, I like to be myself as much as possible, and more importantly I can't change overnight. Also, the change, if we're talking about one, has to be from within, for a reason. And the reasons have to be the right ones. It takes time to figure out those reasons, but eventually it does happen. If you're doing something right then you also learn with time how to take it forward.
Professional sportspersons at most times feel the pressure of having to mature beyond their age. You must have experienced it too...
Yes, and it is important. And it is also a quality that has to come to you naturally. As I said in the earlier question, the number of factors that define an international cricketer these days contribute to the maturity level as well, depend on how well he copes with them. Being in step with your teammates, the circuit, the international exposure at all times is very important.
Who do you go to when you feel low?
My family, my close friends. They know me best. When you go through a low patch or rough times, you cannot afford to be surrounded by negative people who keep putting you down all the time. I am lucky to have a few good friends around me. Most of my friends are not cricketers so it's refreshing.
Are you spiritual in any way?
Haan thoda hoon (little bit). It's in the family.
One thing held against you as a batsman is about not converting good starts. In the last one year, you might be among the top three batsman with most number of half-centuries...
Well, earlier it was about not getting runs, now it's about not converting 50s into 100s. I'm sure next it's going to be about not converting 100s into 150s. I don't know why people pick on these things so easily. Okay, I do understand that challenge is a good thing and it makes you work harder. But I've also just started playing a new role in the team (as opener). It's been just four months. People do expect too much in a very limited period of time.
You're an India cricketer. Expectations will always be there...
I know people want me to do well, they mean well. But sometimes, these expectations are just too high. I'd personally like to believe that as long as the team is winning, the contributions are in place and players are taking care of the responsibility assigned to them, it's fine. Probably, the next step is to be the match-winner and be consistent at it. It will happen with time. It's a learning process forever.
Is concentration, or the lack of it, one of the issues...
No. Thats not the case at all. There's so much competition, you cannot afford to think like that. If you look at my first class statistics, I have 16 hundreds and 22 50s which means I hold an appetite for longer innings. I have three double-hundreds and a triple. I like to bat longer. Recently, on the 'A' tour of South Africa, I played 250 balls to get my hundred in the first Test. It has not been my nature to play that kind of an innings. But eventually I was glad I did it. it was very satisfying. It is something I will keep working on.
In contrast, where T20 is concerned, you seem to have mastered the art of pacing an innings...
Firstly I love the format. It suits me very well. It's not like one-dayers or Tests don't but whether it was Deccan Chargers earlier or now Mumbai Indians now, there was always a certain responsibility I've felt and it has always brought the best out of me. In MI's case, last season, they gave me the captaincy and I relished the opportunity.
Virat Kohli says you can be a good captain...
That's very kind of him. I was in South Africa when he said it. When I came back, people told me about it. We know each other very well, we know what works for both of us. Maybe he must have liked what I did with Mumbai. But it was very nice of him.
Do you set goals for yourself?
To say that I do may sound very cool in an interview but in real life it doesn't work like that. You take it day by day, match by match, season by season. The goal has to work hard and give your best. You can't set targets like I have to score 2 hundreds, 3 fifties... It's a very abstract term. The goal has to be about keep thinking of ways to contribute to the team at all times. Sport is so much about being instantaneous.
Galli cricket was never like that, one always played purely for the fun of it...
I still play galli cricket near my old house and we enjoy it a lot. There are no restrictions, you get to play, spend time with friends and it's really nice. Two days back, I attended the Ganpati puja at my old house after three years and it still also so enjoyable.
Coming back to serious cricket, what do you make of the new ICC rules in ODIs?
The two new balls rule has certainly made life better for the bowlers in One-day cricket. It's a breather for them. With one new ball, on flat wickets, it was very difficult for the pacer bowlers. On the other hand, it tests the batsmen a lot. Batsmen need to be technically sound to counter it, gauge conditions well. There's been a huge difference in the approach. With five fielders inside the circle, it can get very tricky. If you've just come in to bat, easy singles aren't so easy any more. It's the opposite if the batsman is set. The pressure is on the bowling side because there's a fielder less in the deep. There are positives and negatives, but challenging nonetheless.
Reverse swing, the lack of it, is a factor...
Yes, in fact, in my opinion the biggest factor. What suits us (Team India) best is the reverse swing, especially when playing on the sub-continent wicket. That is our strength. Likewise, spinners are also our strength. They can get quickly into the game and start turning the ball. But with two new balls, strategies have had to be drawn again. Reverse swing is a factor that has completely gone missing.
Sehwag and Gambhir are looking to make a comeback; Dhawan is doing well. The competition is only getting tougher, especially now with you also in the fray among openers...
When I first got into the Indian team, I always knew I could not take my position for granted. The competition has always been there and now it's only getting tougher. I guess I have to keep my focus and know what I'm doing. There are guys who are looking to come back into the team and that's a healthy thing. More competition will only make players make more competitive.
There was a time when cricketers used to dream about playing 100 Tests, 200 ODIs. Do cricketers think like that any more?
I don't think they do that any more. With the amount of cricket played from season to season - which again is the question, how do you define a season? - fitness is the most important thing. You keep yourself fit and take it forward from there. If you keep fit then you may even play 200 Tests. Who knows? But setting those goals isn't a trend any more.
In terms of fitness, you'll must be really looking up to MSD...
Absolutely. He's done so well in all the three formats. He's been a great leader and he's our role model. Emulating him is something the whole team believes in.
What kind of a captain is he?
The way he is on the field is exactly the way he is off it. When he leads us on to the ground, he makes sure everything is under control, there are no hiccups, there's no sense of panic. His attitude is something he carries well and it rubs off on the rest of the players. He's extremely calm and knows how to define the connect between drawing strategies and implementing them.
What kind of access do players have to MSD? If a player is feeling low, does he go out of his way to make him feel better?
He's very friendly. He wants players to come and talk to him. He's someone who's really chilled out. If there's a young guy coming into the team, he won't feel for a minute that 'oh MS is the skipper, can I talk so freely with him? Can I express myself?' He takes care of that. If he feels someone is low or needs support, you don't need to tell him. He'll go to the player and talk to him. That's his biggest strength - man-management. He knows his players are his match-winners and he wants them to be in the best frame of mind.
Horses for courses concept for cricketers, specialist positions - such strategies are helping Team India find a lot more talent...
The most wonderful thing about this is that if a player is just starting, the horses for courses concept helps a lot in him getting to understand his role. It is easier for him to know what is required and that helps him settle down quickly.
Duncan Fletcher seems to be playing a big part in building these strategies. What is he like?
He is so passionate about the game, he loves it so much. You wake him up in the middle of the night and he'll ready to talk cricket. From my point of view -- as a batsman - he is a really good thinker of the game. He knows what it takes to be at the top of the game, he's very knowledgeable.
How exactly do you define 'very knowledgeable'?
When it comes to making strategies, he exactly knows how to plan things, things like how to get a player out and all. On the field, of course it is up to the players... but background strategizing is what I'm talking about. He's very good...
Let's wrap this with your take on your fitness and what kind of work you've put in...
The amount of cricket we play depends on how fit we manage to keep ourselves. It was a concern for me earlier. I admit it wasn't the biggest priority for me but now, I can say that it is. I've been very hard on it and really understand its importance as an international cricketer. I love the gym and a good workout makes me feel exactly how I feel after scoring a hundred.
Excerpts...
Last year, around the same time, you were going through one of the worst phases. A lot has changed since. You're opening the innings for India and have been impressive...
Yes, I clearly remember what I was going through back then. I was going through a really tough time. The World T20 campaign was a disaster, my personal form during the tour of Sri Lanka was very bad. But then, 2013 has been pleasant so far, hope it continues.
Your new role, as an opener... how did that come about. MS Dhoni had tried it once earlier (during World T20 in 2009). And now again...
We (Rohit and MSD) haven't spoken at length about this. But whatever little MS spoke with me, he did convey that he thinks I have the ability to open the batting and counter the new ball. I'm glad he finds me capable of it and I've also been working hard on it.
Opening the batting is a different challenge altogether, especially with the new ICC rules.
Oh yes, facing two new balls is not easy. The new rules have had an impact and we're happy as a team we could manage to do well and adjust to them. As far as opening is concerned, it is about how mentally strong you are, what kind of pressure can you manage take and deliver.
Is pressure an overrated word in sport? What does it mean to you?
When you play international cricket, there are times when playing cricket alone isn't the only thing eating into your energy. That's probably the case in first class cricket. But as things move on, a sportsperson begins to understand the importance of factors surrounding the game. Be it the media, critics, fans, the competition - not just in terms of the opposition but also in making it to the team and continuing. So pressure can be a very abstract term when all these factors come into play. I try and stay away as much as possible from as many things I can.
Can you give an instance when you did that?
Last year, in Sri Lanka. I wasn't scoring my, wasn't even reaching double digits. It was really getting to me, frustration was at its peak. I used to keep asking myself day in, day out why I wasn't getting it right and there were no answers. The frustration wasn't because the coach or the captain was putting pressure on me or losing faith. It was inside my own mind that I was fighting a battle. I was making things complicated for my own self. It took time for me to realize that there was no point in doing that. There are times in our careers when these things happen. I gradually learnt. I was back in Sri Lanka later that year and I did reasonably well.
How encouraging is it when you have teammates of the same age as you. Does conversation become any easy as compared to having to deal with a senior?
Trust me it's great when you have guys around you who are of the same age as you. You can simply chill, take your mind off, just chat about something else. These things matter especially when things don't go your way. You can't do that much when the seniors are around. Sometimes you're too much in awe of them, sometimes you're scared to approach.
In the last six to eight months, you've looked like a very different guy in the mid-field, at point or cover. A lot more agile, quicker as a fielder...
Maybe it is the approach, I have worked on a lot of changes and gradually inculcated them. Frankly, I like to be myself as much as possible, and more importantly I can't change overnight. Also, the change, if we're talking about one, has to be from within, for a reason. And the reasons have to be the right ones. It takes time to figure out those reasons, but eventually it does happen. If you're doing something right then you also learn with time how to take it forward.
Professional sportspersons at most times feel the pressure of having to mature beyond their age. You must have experienced it too...
Yes, and it is important. And it is also a quality that has to come to you naturally. As I said in the earlier question, the number of factors that define an international cricketer these days contribute to the maturity level as well, depend on how well he copes with them. Being in step with your teammates, the circuit, the international exposure at all times is very important.
Who do you go to when you feel low?
My family, my close friends. They know me best. When you go through a low patch or rough times, you cannot afford to be surrounded by negative people who keep putting you down all the time. I am lucky to have a few good friends around me. Most of my friends are not cricketers so it's refreshing.
Are you spiritual in any way?
Haan thoda hoon (little bit). It's in the family.
One thing held against you as a batsman is about not converting good starts. In the last one year, you might be among the top three batsman with most number of half-centuries...
Well, earlier it was about not getting runs, now it's about not converting 50s into 100s. I'm sure next it's going to be about not converting 100s into 150s. I don't know why people pick on these things so easily. Okay, I do understand that challenge is a good thing and it makes you work harder. But I've also just started playing a new role in the team (as opener). It's been just four months. People do expect too much in a very limited period of time.
You're an India cricketer. Expectations will always be there...
I know people want me to do well, they mean well. But sometimes, these expectations are just too high. I'd personally like to believe that as long as the team is winning, the contributions are in place and players are taking care of the responsibility assigned to them, it's fine. Probably, the next step is to be the match-winner and be consistent at it. It will happen with time. It's a learning process forever.
Is concentration, or the lack of it, one of the issues...
No. Thats not the case at all. There's so much competition, you cannot afford to think like that. If you look at my first class statistics, I have 16 hundreds and 22 50s which means I hold an appetite for longer innings. I have three double-hundreds and a triple. I like to bat longer. Recently, on the 'A' tour of South Africa, I played 250 balls to get my hundred in the first Test. It has not been my nature to play that kind of an innings. But eventually I was glad I did it. it was very satisfying. It is something I will keep working on.
In contrast, where T20 is concerned, you seem to have mastered the art of pacing an innings...
Firstly I love the format. It suits me very well. It's not like one-dayers or Tests don't but whether it was Deccan Chargers earlier or now Mumbai Indians now, there was always a certain responsibility I've felt and it has always brought the best out of me. In MI's case, last season, they gave me the captaincy and I relished the opportunity.
Virat Kohli says you can be a good captain...
That's very kind of him. I was in South Africa when he said it. When I came back, people told me about it. We know each other very well, we know what works for both of us. Maybe he must have liked what I did with Mumbai. But it was very nice of him.
Do you set goals for yourself?
To say that I do may sound very cool in an interview but in real life it doesn't work like that. You take it day by day, match by match, season by season. The goal has to work hard and give your best. You can't set targets like I have to score 2 hundreds, 3 fifties... It's a very abstract term. The goal has to be about keep thinking of ways to contribute to the team at all times. Sport is so much about being instantaneous.
Galli cricket was never like that, one always played purely for the fun of it...
I still play galli cricket near my old house and we enjoy it a lot. There are no restrictions, you get to play, spend time with friends and it's really nice. Two days back, I attended the Ganpati puja at my old house after three years and it still also so enjoyable.
Coming back to serious cricket, what do you make of the new ICC rules in ODIs?
The two new balls rule has certainly made life better for the bowlers in One-day cricket. It's a breather for them. With one new ball, on flat wickets, it was very difficult for the pacer bowlers. On the other hand, it tests the batsmen a lot. Batsmen need to be technically sound to counter it, gauge conditions well. There's been a huge difference in the approach. With five fielders inside the circle, it can get very tricky. If you've just come in to bat, easy singles aren't so easy any more. It's the opposite if the batsman is set. The pressure is on the bowling side because there's a fielder less in the deep. There are positives and negatives, but challenging nonetheless.
Reverse swing, the lack of it, is a factor...
Yes, in fact, in my opinion the biggest factor. What suits us (Team India) best is the reverse swing, especially when playing on the sub-continent wicket. That is our strength. Likewise, spinners are also our strength. They can get quickly into the game and start turning the ball. But with two new balls, strategies have had to be drawn again. Reverse swing is a factor that has completely gone missing.
Sehwag and Gambhir are looking to make a comeback; Dhawan is doing well. The competition is only getting tougher, especially now with you also in the fray among openers...
When I first got into the Indian team, I always knew I could not take my position for granted. The competition has always been there and now it's only getting tougher. I guess I have to keep my focus and know what I'm doing. There are guys who are looking to come back into the team and that's a healthy thing. More competition will only make players make more competitive.
There was a time when cricketers used to dream about playing 100 Tests, 200 ODIs. Do cricketers think like that any more?
I don't think they do that any more. With the amount of cricket played from season to season - which again is the question, how do you define a season? - fitness is the most important thing. You keep yourself fit and take it forward from there. If you keep fit then you may even play 200 Tests. Who knows? But setting those goals isn't a trend any more.
In terms of fitness, you'll must be really looking up to MSD...
Absolutely. He's done so well in all the three formats. He's been a great leader and he's our role model. Emulating him is something the whole team believes in.
What kind of a captain is he?
The way he is on the field is exactly the way he is off it. When he leads us on to the ground, he makes sure everything is under control, there are no hiccups, there's no sense of panic. His attitude is something he carries well and it rubs off on the rest of the players. He's extremely calm and knows how to define the connect between drawing strategies and implementing them.
What kind of access do players have to MSD? If a player is feeling low, does he go out of his way to make him feel better?
He's very friendly. He wants players to come and talk to him. He's someone who's really chilled out. If there's a young guy coming into the team, he won't feel for a minute that 'oh MS is the skipper, can I talk so freely with him? Can I express myself?' He takes care of that. If he feels someone is low or needs support, you don't need to tell him. He'll go to the player and talk to him. That's his biggest strength - man-management. He knows his players are his match-winners and he wants them to be in the best frame of mind.
Horses for courses concept for cricketers, specialist positions - such strategies are helping Team India find a lot more talent...
The most wonderful thing about this is that if a player is just starting, the horses for courses concept helps a lot in him getting to understand his role. It is easier for him to know what is required and that helps him settle down quickly.
Duncan Fletcher seems to be playing a big part in building these strategies. What is he like?
He is so passionate about the game, he loves it so much. You wake him up in the middle of the night and he'll ready to talk cricket. From my point of view -- as a batsman - he is a really good thinker of the game. He knows what it takes to be at the top of the game, he's very knowledgeable.
How exactly do you define 'very knowledgeable'?
When it comes to making strategies, he exactly knows how to plan things, things like how to get a player out and all. On the field, of course it is up to the players... but background strategizing is what I'm talking about. He's very good...
Let's wrap this with your take on your fitness and what kind of work you've put in...
The amount of cricket we play depends on how fit we manage to keep ourselves. It was a concern for me earlier. I admit it wasn't the biggest priority for me but now, I can say that it is. I've been very hard on it and really understand its importance as an international cricketer. I love the gym and a good workout makes me feel exactly how I feel after scoring a hundred.
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