Rohit Sharma is in tantalising form breaking record after record and has been in the headlines recently for his six hitting ability and his marathon innings in the limited-overs format. Rohit scored his third ODI double hundred in the ODI format and also scored the joint fastest T20 hundred in 35 deliveries against Sri Lanka in the second T20 on Friday. He now holds the record for the highest T20 score by an Indian in international cricket.
Rohit is known for his clean six hitting ability and now sits on top of the list of hitting the number of sixes a calendar year after hitting 63 sixes in all formats throughout the year. Rohit hit ten sixes on course to his 118 against Sri Lanka in the second T20I, and most of those were crisp and clear sixes.
Rohit admitted that the secret behind his six hitting ability has never been power or brute hitting but his strength has always been his timing. He said:
“I definitely don’t have so much power. I rely a lot on timing the ball more than anything else. I know what my strengths are as well as my weaknesses. I try to play to the field as much as I can, to be honest.”
Asked if he makes any technical changes to his batting he said:
“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. 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. 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. The way he was mauling the Lankan attack, a double hundred in T20 was a possibility. However, Rohit said he did not think of double century. Not really. I was just thinking to score runs. I wasn’t thinking of any particular target. In all the formats, I don’t look to score runs to get to a particular milestone,” he said.
“My job is to go out there and score as many (runs) as possible. Not just 100s or 200s or 300s. I go out there to make sure I get my team into a good position. 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 also added that the team carries the hopes of 140 Crores Indian and the pressure of these hopes makes them perform well:
“There was a lot of pressure, especially after the first match (ODI) in Dharamsala. We were in such a position that we were on the verge of getting all out on our lowest score. 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 the ground is important for me. During his sensational 118-run knock off just 43 balls, Rohit hit 10 sixes and 12 boundaries.”
Asked if he surprised himself with any one 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.”