“Still hope to play few more years, make an impact in world cricket…”: Rohit Sharma

Dubai [UAE], May 15 (ANI): Indian skipper Rohit Sharma opened up about his journey as an international cricketer and captain and dropped a hint about his future with the national team.

The Indian skipper, currently playing for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), was speaking on the Dubai Eye 103.8 Radio Station.

Speaking about his journey as an international cricketer, Rohit said that he aims to play for a few more years and make an impact in world cricket.

“The journey has been wonderful; to make it to the highest level is not easy, especially in the country from where I come from; it has been 17 years; I still hope to play a few more years as well and make an impact in world cricket,” Rohit said.

The Indian skipper also said that throughout his cricketing life, he has seen more downs than ups, especially during the start of his career. These downs affected him to such an extent that he was left questioning if he belonged to the national side.

“I have seen more downs than ups in my life, the human and person I am today is because of what I have seen in the past, and in the downs. When I started my career, I did not have a lot of positives. I did not have a lot of positive impact on the team. I was questioning whether I belonged here or not. It was about what I could do as a person or want in this life as a person and player,” said Rohit.

Speaking on being the captain of the Indian team, Rohit said that captaining your country is the biggest honour one could have. He also opened up on his vision as the skipper, at the heart of which is prioritising team over personal milestones.

“Captaining your country is the biggest honour that you can have, and for me, I have never thought that this would arrive where I will be captaining one day. But yeah, people say good things happen to good people,” said Rohit.

“I was very fortunate to get that opportunity (to be a captain), and I knew the past captains who have had an impact in Indian cricket and the kind of legacy they have left as well. We have had so many great captains, so yeah, just taking from where these guys left, making sure that the team heads in the right direction.”

“When I took over as India Captain, I just wanted everyone to drive in one direction, that is how the team sport should be played, it is not about personal milestones, stats and goals, it is about what all 11 of us can bring to the table and win the trophy,” Rohit concluded his point.

Speaking on the pressure he faces as a cricketer and a role model in India, Rohit said that it plays a crucial part in his life and he takes pressure in a positive way.

“I believe unless you are put under pressure, the real you does not come out so much. Sometimes you do not realise what kind of strengths you have as an individual, so when you are under pressure you try and bring out that strength,” he added. (ANI)

Rohit will be in action for India in the ICC T20 World Cup from June 1 onwards in the West Indies and USA.