The Mumbai batsman has divided opinions like no other player in recent times, with critics feeling that he has been supported too much in spite of repeated failures. Sharma agreed that there are still areas to improve on his batting, but feels that he is being examined harshly.
“My numbers in Test and ODI cricket are not as bad as everyone's making them out to be. Those who know their cricket will know what I have done in Test cricket so far is not bad. When I made my Test debut, I averaged more than 60 in first-class cricket. Right now, it's 55. The long rope was given purely on the basis of my domestic performance. It's there for anyone to go and check,” Sharma said.
“When I started my international career, the problem was inconsistency. When I became consistent, they said he doesn't score centuries. So I scored two double centuries. And then, believe it or not, they said I must improve my strike-rate. Then, I realized it was pointless. From then till date I'm like, never mind (laughs),” he added.
“I have to improve on everything. I am not perfect. Even when I get a century, I prepare harder for the next game. My job is not about over-analysing the game. But I can tell you nobody is perfect.”
Sharma was preferred to Cheteshwar Pujara for the one-off Test against Bangladesh and the first two Tests against Sri Lanka before injuries paved the way for Pujara to return to the team in the third and final Test at Colombo.
The Saurashtra cricketer made the opportunity count, playing a match-winning knock of 145* in the first innings, thus becoming only the fourth Indian to carry his bat through an innings. Adding more credibility to the knock was the fact that he achieved the feat playing as a make-shift opener.
Question marks remain over whether Sharma will be included for the opening Test against South Africa, with Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay – who missed that Test due to injury – set to return. But Sharma is not too bothered and insists that he is a team player and is ready to bat at any position.
On the interviewer’s opinion that he may be dropped, Sharma responded angrily: “Let the people who are in charge of the team take that call. You and I will do what is expected of us.”
Sharma has batted at a number of positions during his international career but declared that he doesn‘t have a preference as to where to bat at.
“That's a good question for you to elicit an interesting headline point but, like I said, it's for the team management to decide. Let me tell you this. For Mumbai Indians, I wanted to open the innings, but we felt that me batting at No. 4 will be good for the team. And we got the results. So putting your team first and understanding your team's needs is most important,” Sharma said.
I don’t think I’m talented: Rohit Sharma
The Mumbai Indian skipper is regularly talked about as a naturally gifted batsman, but it’s not a view that finds approval from Sharma.
“Firstly, I don't think that I am talented. This 'talent' talk has messed things up for me. I started my career as a bowler. I was never a batsman. All this natural talent, God's gift and all that that you guys in the media talk and write about is unfair and wrong. I have worked on my batting to get here. I used to bat at No. 8. From there, I made my way up. Ask my coach, Mr Dinesh Lad, and he will tell you that I was an off-spinner. People must think before talking. And speaking of dismissals, that's how a batsman usually gets out — to an incoming ball, caught in the slip cordon, bowled, etc,” Sharma said.
“Look, there is nothing easy in cricket. Nothing comes to you. People say 'Boss, this guy is gifted and he can do this and he can do that'. But nobody knows what happens behind the scenes. Nobody knows about the hard work that's been put in. Nobody knows what I do to improve my skills and my fitness. Whatever I have achieved is because of my hard work. All these terms like 'lazy elegance' have been coined by you guys.”
“Nothing comes naturally to anybody. Maybe, on TV, it comes across like that. But that's not the right way to judge anyone. One must go deep into the story. One must get to the root of the matter. One must get to the bottom of everything before writing such things. Most reporters who cover cricket don't know I was a bowler. I became a serious batsman during my Under-17 days. I broke the middle finger of my right hand during a 50-over match against the visiting Sri Lankans in 2005. It was difficult for me to grip the ball after that injury. That's how I became a regular batsman,” he added.
Sharma responds angrily to opinion that he throws his wicket away
Sharma is known to score big centuries, as evident by the two 200s he has scored in ODI cricket. But there have also been instances when he has missed out on a hundred playing, what are perceived as rash shots. The player took strong exception to this view as well, stating that those are down to over-expectations.
“It's like telling Hulk to kill everybody at any cost. And he manages to do that. But I am not Hulk and there is no way anyone can score a hundred every time they walk out to bat,” Sharma said. “Yes, I admit there have been a couple of chances where I could have got hundreds. I missed out on those chances. When I get out to a particular shot, the media says I have thrown it away. When I hit sixes employing the same shot, the media, and the fans stand up and clap. A shot that gets me out also gets me runs. I am not going to stop playing a particular shot just because X, Y, Z says so.”
“So according to you, any batsman who gets out on 80, 85 or 90 has thrown it away. I worked hard for 79. Are you trying to say I told myself 'OK, chalo, I am bored; I made 79. Let's get out?' Of course I felt bad after getting out. It's common sense.”
Sharma, in fact, feels that he is never given due credit and is simply an easy target for the media.
“I don't want any credit. In any case, you people write what you want (laughs). Journalists hunt for exclusive stuff. Every journalist wants to impress his editor. So they write what they like. People will ask such questions even I when get out to a bowler bowling at 140 kph. That way they will say, 'Oh, he can't play express pace'. And when I get out to a spinner, they will say, 'Oh, he can't play spin'. People want to keep saying something or the other. I am happy that everybody thinks and talks so much about me (laughs),” Sharma said.
