Representing 140 crore people is a lot of pressure: Rohit Sharma

Team India has performed really well against Sri Lanka, especially in the limited-overs format. In the absence of the regular skipper, Rohit Sharma was handed over the responsibilities. Though India lost miserably in the first ODI which was the first time the opening batsman captained in international cricket, the Men in Blue bounced back really strong. Rohit handled the pressure quite well, from the second game, despite all the criticism.

He wasn’t new to it having already his Indian Premier League (IPL) team. His captaincy record in the IPL for Mumbai Indians has already proved his mettle but captaining the national side for the first time is a lot of pressure. But things have gone pretty well for Rohit.

He has led the team from the front, be it with the bat or on the field. Though he got out for a cheap score in his first game as skipper, he came back with a massive double hundred; his record third double century, in ODI cricket. Needless to say, he is the only batsman to have done that.

Playing for India is a lot of pressure

Rohit’s outstanding display of batting adds him to the list of players who performed even better under the immense pressure of leading a side. However, when asked about the pressure on the team, he stated that there’s always pressure when one plays for the nation. “We are representing 140 crore people and there is a lot of pressure of that,” he said ahead of the last match of the tour.

“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,” he said about leading the side.

He also spoke about scoring runs in all the directions. He said that scoring in one area makes it predictable for the bowler. “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,” 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,” he added.

Rohit also stated that he doesn’t have so much power, like most of the hitters. ” 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,” the batting sensation said.