World Cup tons useless because team didn't win, says Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma, who finished the 2019 World Cup as the highest run-getter and hit a record 5 tons has stated that all the centuries in the WC mean nothing to him, given the team failed to win the tournament. Rohit also admitted that it’s the responsibility of individuals to deal with expectations.
Known for being the ultimate team man, Rohit Sharma ingrained his name in the pantheon of greats with his performances in the 2019 World Cup, scoring 5 tons - an all-time record - en route to finishing the competition as the highest run-getter, with 648 runs to his name. To his dismay, though, all those centuries went in vain as India crashed out of the tournament in the semi-final, encountering a stunning defeat at the hands of the Kiwis.
Speaking to Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues in a chat show on YouTube, the Indian vice-captain revealed how all the hundreds he scored in the World Cup mean nothing to him, given the team eventually ended up not winning the competition. The 33-year-old also added that the sole aim of his is to make the team win through his contributions.
“Firstly, I don't play for anyone; I play for myself and I play for the team. I want to contribute in whatever way I can and make sure that the team wins. Because I've seen it - you score 100, 200 or 300, but there is no fun if you don't win the game. That's what happened to me in the World Cup. All those hundreds, I don't know where it's lying. It's lying somewhere, because we don't have the trophy,” Rohit told Jemimah and Mandhana on their show 'Double Trouble.'
A prodigal batsman who made his national debut at just the age of 20, Rohit has had to deal with ginormous amounts of expectations ever since he was a kid, and that, he admitted, took a toll on his performances, early on in his career. The Mumbaikar, who is also the most successful captain in IPL history, stated that individuals will always have to deal with expectations as long as they play for the national team and insisted on the importance of ‘creating a shield’ to shut down the noise coming from the outside.
“Expectations, as long as you're playing cricket, as long as you're playing for the national team, will be there. And that is mandatory; that is not going to change. Be it a 10-year-old or a 60-year-old, they will expect you to score runs, they will expect you to do something magical every day. That shouldn't be on your mind while you're playing.
“And it has taken me a lot of time to deal with that. The first 5-6 years was very, very difficult and how I came out of it was just by ignoring everything around me. It's important to create a shield around yourself and not all the things outside shouldn't travel inside that. How you do that is by mentally staying strong. "
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