I can't say if Kohli is the best in the world right now: Rohit Sharma

I can't say if Kohli is the best in the world right now: Rohit Sharma

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Rohit Sharma feels that it is unfair to compare players since every batsman plays in different positions and has different roles. The 29-year-old, who won CEAT's Indian Cricketer of the Year award, has also insisted that he will not 'change' just because 'X,Y, Z is not happy' with his performances.

“It's nice to have won awards along the way but it doesn't put me under pressure. I don't go out on the field thinking that I want to be ODI or Test cricketer of the year. What motivates me is to win matches for my team and keep performing. Having said that, it's a nice feeling to have won this award and see your performance recognised,” Rohit Sharma said in an exclusive interview to Cricbuzz.

When asked about his dip in form at the World T20, Sharma said, “It's sad but things like these happen. You'll have tours where you'd not be that effective. But, I've learnt this in eight years that you've to take things in your stride and move forward. I understand that my form was crucial for us.

“Every time I went, I was only trying to do my best and give whatever I have. When you're opening, the team expects certain things from you, like giving a solid start and put pressure on the bowlers from ball one. I was only trying to do that. I just wanted to lay the platform for our solid middle-order. I thought I was being extra-positive, which was a mistake. But again, I back my game. That's how I approach cricket and if it doesn't come off, I don't want to get disappointed and put myself down. It's fine. We've allotted certain roles to certain players. Throughout the tournament, we played well. It's just that we were unlucky in Mumbai, where things didn't go our way. 192 was a competitive score on that track. We were one of the strongest bowling sides in the tournament,” to cricbuzz.

Rohit Sharma's teammate Virat Kohli has been the talk of the town recently. While the former has faded away from the limelight, the latter has been grabbing the headlines since the World T20. However, despite Kohli's god-like form, Rohit Sharma has refrained from labeling him as the best in the world at the moment.

Also read about who won the CEAT cricketer of the year awards.

“Ravi Shastri put it aptly when he said it's only going to benefit Indian cricket. I can't say if he's the best in the world right now. There a lot of guys playing well and he's obviously among them. I hate comparisons, because is not fair. People do it because it's fun for them to do so. Everyone plays differently, bats in a different position. But yes, he's right up there,” Sharma explained.

Also read a view on why this IPL has been the most boring ever despite Kohli's heroics.

Despite his success in the shorter formats of the game, Rohit Sharma has failed to establish himself in the longer version. When asked about what has gone wrong in his Test career so far, he said, “If I'd have known what happened, I wouldn't have been in this situation for sure. Yes, there's been a lack of form since then. But again, I'm the sort who doesn't dwell on the past, because the future is bright. We've got so many games coming up. I believe in certain things and one of them is: "What's happened has happened. You can't change it. There's no way I can go back to the 16 Tests I've played and change anything. I can only look at the footage of what mistakes I've made and learn from that. That's what I try and do. I'm not here to please anyone. I'm here to play my cricket and make a contribution to team India. If X,Y, Z is not happy with my performance, they can be unhappy. That's fine. I'm not going to change because they feel I need to change. I seriously don't feel that way,” to cricbuzz.

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