XtraTime Web Desk – Rohit Sharma’s dismissal in the first innings, raised a lot of question about his temperament. Couple of balls earlier, he hit a four and it was unnecessary to go for a hit but he however did and got out.
Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar questioned his shot selection but Rohit had his answer. “I reached where I wanted to reach, just that I did not connect with where I wanted to hit the ball”. He further added, “I was trying to pierce that long-on and deep square-leg fielder, I just did not connect with the way I would have loved to. I actually liked what I did today, before coming here, we knew it would be a good pitch to bat, of course, there would be bounce and carry to the keeper, but this is what I enjoy”.
Rohit Sharma also said that he will not regret his decision of stepping out and trying to hit a big shot. The vice captain said, “Once I was in and I had played a few overs, I realised there was not much swing so I did little adjustment there, after that, it was an unfortunate dismissal, it is something I won’t regret. I like to put pressure on the bowler once I am in and that is my role in this team to keep putting pressure on the bowlers. The run-scoring has been slightly difficult for both the teams so someone needs to put their hand up and think about how to put pressure on the bowlers”.
He added, “In doing that, there is a chance of making mistakes but you should be ready to accept that. It was a plan so I actually have no regrets about playing that shot, it is something I like to, Nathan Lyon is a smart bowler, he bowled into me so I was not able to get the elevation”.
T. Natarajan, one of India’s brightest talent made his debut in the 4th test at Gabba and took 3 wickets. Speaking about him, Rohit said, “Natarajan is a bright prospect for us, he showed a lot of discipline when he played for India in the white-ball format. He was coming off a good IPL and he carried that confidence into the white-ball series against Australia. Then to have a Test match like that, first spell he bowled was very accurate, if I have to judge”.
Partnering with another debutant, Washington Sundar, the duo picked up 6 wickets. When asked about their performance, Rohit said, “They showed a lot of character and they understood what the team expected them to do. Playing their first match, they showed a lot of character and discipline and yes, the team was expecting them to do something and both Sundar and Natarajan did that really well”.
Speaking about their overall bowling group, Sharma said, ”We bowled pretty well considering the amount of experience we have in our bowling unit. This is a great experience and learning for them to bowl against the best batters and test themselves”.