Won’t face problem while opening for India: Rohit
mumbai — Rohit Sharma believes that batting at No 4 for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) will have no bearing when he goes out to open the batting for India in the ICC Champions Trophy as the two are completely different formats.
“IPL is different from international cricket. I spoke before the start of IPL that to give balance to the team I will bat lower down. I don’t know why people compare the two (situations),” said Rohit at the Mumbai Indians’ media conference on Monday.
Rohit scored 333 runs in 17 games for Mumbai Indians batting at No 4 but as he gears up to open for India in England, the stylish righthander feels that it’s something that international players adapt to. “It has happened for 10 years — players going on to play Test cricket or 50 over games after IPL. I don’t think it’s going to be difficult to adapt in this age. All it needs is to develop the mindset,” he said confidently.
Asked about which title he relished the most, Rohit pointed the current title as the best he has won. “I can’t single out any one of these. Last night’s T20 game was one of the best I had played. I am very happy. No team has won the IPL thrice before.
It’s a very big achievement and we have to take this confidence forward,” he added.
He said captaining the MI side has helped him significantly. “It (captaincy) does help me a lot. Last year, we had a tough time and could not qualify for the Play-offs, but we knew we had the players to do well this year and they delivered. The attitude of the players remained the same whether we won or lost. As captain I love to inspire teams as much as I can,” he said. There will be a mega auction next year but Rohit says that he will like to remain a part of Mumbai Indians.