I am not at a stage to worry about whether I'll be picked or not, says Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma, who was not included in the one-off Test against Afghanistan, has stated that he was not worried about being picked and wants to make the most of the time he continues to play cricket. Sharma insisted that he has no regrets about his career and wanted to focus on big events coming up.
A force to reckon with in white ball cricket, Indiaâs limited overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma seemed to have made peace with his below-par Test record and remarked that half of his playing career was over. Sharma admitted that he doesnât fret over his selection in the Test squad and wanted to enjoy rest of his playing career.
"There's limited time you have as a player and I have finished almost half of it. There's no point in spending the remaining half thinking whether I'll be picked or not. I am going forward with the theory of 'whatever time I have make it count'," said Rohit Sharma as quoted by India Today.
Despite doing wonders in the limited overs format, Sharma has failed to do the same in the longer format of the game, scoring just 1479 runs at average of 39.97 from the 25 Tests he has played for India. Sharma was given chance in Indiaâs last series against South Africa, but failed miserable, hence, was not included in the India's squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Bengaluru starting June 14. Sharma seemed to have no complaints regarding the selection and insisted that he has reached a stage in his career where he doesnât worry about selection. Sharma insisted that there's a time for everything.Â
"For me, I am not at a stage to worry about whether I'll be picked or not. I need to enjoy my game. The first five-six years of my career, it was all about oh, will I be picked? Will I play! Now it's all about enjoying the game. These things keeps adding pressure on you. Instead, it's best to enjoy yourself in what you do and give your best," he said.
"I got into the national team when I was 20 and I made my Test debut when I was 26. I had an opportunity to make my debut in 2010 but I missed that (due to an injury). After that, it made me realise that the more you want, your attitude changes. I have realised there's time for everything.
"There has to be time and a slot available for it. The seniors - Sachin, Rahul, VVS and Sourav - were all playing then so we had to wait. After a point, I realised there's no point thinking about it (selection). No point in thinking about what the selectors are doing and all," Rohit added.
When asked whether he was surprised by his axing from the Test squad against Afghanistan, he replied, "I was not. As I said, I can only keep enjoying my game. There's no time to regret about anything. I've had enough time to regret in the past. We have got big events coming up, so best to focus on it."
Rohit also didn't have the best of IPL this season while leading last year's champions Mumbai Indians, failing to take his side to the play-offs. The flamboyant right-hander admitted that he failed to live up to his own expectations with the bat.
