Rohit Sharma: Playing the Best Cricket of His Life, Says He’ll Retire When He’s Not Good Enough
Former England batter Geoffrey Boycott may have suggested that Rohit Sharma is past his prime, but the Indian skipper has emphatically declared that he is currently playing the best cricket of his life.
Leading his team in the absence of stalwarts Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, Rohit guided India to a dominant 4-1 victory in the five-match Test series against England. In the decisive Dharamsala Test, India inflicted an innings and 64 runs defeat on the visitors, wrapping up the match within three days.
Reflecting on his own performance, Rohit asserted that he will not hesitate to retire the day he feels he is no longer up to the mark. “One day, when I wake up and feel, I am not good enough then I will retire straight away,” he said. “But in the last few years, I am playing the best cricket of my life.”
Head coach Rahul Dravid echoed Rohit’s sentiments, praising the skipper’s exceptional leadership and ability to bail the team out of difficult situations. “Rohit Sharma has been exceptional in this series,” Dravid said. “In Rajkot, when we were 3 down inside the first hour, we needed someone to get us that hundred. In Ranchi also, he batted amazingly.”
Rohit also highlighted the importance of nurturing young players, especially in the absence of senior stars. “When you win a Test, everything has to fall into place,” he said. “Lot of things we did right through the match. [Absent stars] At some stage, people are going to go, we know that. All these guys are short on experience but they’ve played a lot of cricket. We have got to nurture them and make them understand the game.”
“When put under pressure, they responded pretty well,” Rohit added. “Credit goes to the entire team for that. We talk about scoring runs, but it is as important to take 20 wickets to win the Test match. Everyone, all the bowlers came and responded. They wanted to make a difference with the ball in hand.”
