Xtra Time Web Desk: Team India captain Rohit Sharma on Sunday spoke about the challenges of batting in England ahead of facing Australia in the ICC World Test Championship final which starts at the Oval from June 7.
“Look, I think, in England in general, it’s pretty challenging conditions for batters. As long as you are prepared to have a good grind, you can have success,” Rohit said during an ICC event ‘Afternoon with Test Legends’
Rohit, who was India’s best batter in four Tests in 2021 against England, spoke about his personal experience while seated alongside Pat Cummins, Ross Taylor and Ian Bell.
“One thing I realised in 2021, you are never in (set) and the weather keeps changing. You need to keep concentrating for longer periods of time and you will get that intuition when it’s time to take on the bowlers. More importantly you need to be out there and you have got to understand what you understand what your strengths are,” said Rohit.
Talking about the challenges of switching from one format to another, Rohit said, “That (change of formats) certainly has been the challenging factor. You know you play multi-format. Mentally you have to be very adaptable and tweak your technique. You need to be talking to yourself and get mentally ready,” said Rohit.
Rohit might have won five IPL trophies, one T20 Word Cup and a Champions Trophy but for the 35-year-old Indian skipper, Test cricket remains the ultimate format. “It keeps challenging you. You want to be in these situations. You look forward and as a person, it brings the best out of you. In last 3-4 years in Test cricket, we have had good success. Now it is about crossing that final hurdle and giving that confidence to youngsters so that they can play in the way they want to play,” he concluded.