Rohit Sharma's big claim following Team India's 4-1 Test series victory against England stirred the internet, with netizens going crazy over his statement and sharing their thoughts on social media.
“I think if one day if I wake up and feel I'm not good enough, I'm not feeling good enough to play the sport. I'll just talk it out and let them know about it. But honestly, I feel in the last two or three years my cricket has actually gone up and I'm playing the best cricket,” he said,” Rohit Sharma told Jio Cinema after India's victory over the Ben Stokes-led side in the fifth Test in Dharamsala.
“I'm not too much of a stat person who looks into numbers and all of that. Yes, scoring big runs, those numbers are important, but eventually there is a culture of playing cricket in this team that I was focusing on and I am still focusing on. I wanted to bring a certain change. You know, players going out there and playing with a lot of freedom. That statistical side of cricket, I want to take completely out of this team,” he added.
“People are not looking at numbers. People are not looking at their personal scores. Play the game. Numbers will take care of itself if you are playing well. If you're fearless, If your mind is clean and clear, other things will take care of itself. But don't look out. Go out there looking for ok, can I get a 50 here? can I get 100? Obviously all those numbers are good. It will happen. But just take that completely out of your mind and just focus on the game,” the 36-year-old explained.
Rohit Sharma's remarks came in the wake of his scintillating innings of 103 runs off 162 deliveries against England in the fifth Test at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (HPCA) in Dharamsala.
Previously, he was criticized for his poor displays with the bat in the first two Test matches.
England legend Geoffrey Boycott even claimed that Rohit Sharma was past his prime.
No bro you are better than almost everyone at this moment. Please give yourself another chance in the 2027 World Cup. 💔🥺🥺 pic.twitter.com/2eqtgjKCGl
— Jod Insane (@jod_insane) March 9, 2024
No need of thinking right now
Playing absolutely fantastic as a opener
Whatever india is winning nowdays bcoz of his strong opening starts
Especially Test cricket— Akash Singh (@AkashSingh178) March 9, 2024
He can easily play 2027 wc and i think he should,rohit sharma is a all format player he’s performing so well in limited overs cricket with that aggressive intent,virat is also a great player of one day even tho he plays old fashioned cricket but acceptable in odi, both must play!
— Priyansh Mishra (@mishraaoxymoron) March 9, 2024
En route to his century in Himachal Pradesh, the Nagpur-born cricketer struck 13 fours and three sixes to pile on the misery on the Ben Stokes-led side after the visitors were bowled out for 218 on Day 1 at the HPCA stadium.
While there was assistance for spinners from the track, Rohit Sharma didn't allow Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley to settle down in their rhythm as he stepped out to smack them for sixes on multiple occasions.
As he eased through to his 12th ton in red-ball cricket, Rohit Sharma scripted history in Dharamsala.
He equaled the legendary Sunil Gavaskar's record for most hundreds scored against England. Both Rohit Sharma and Sunil Gavaskar have made 4 centuries each in the purest format against the Three Lions.
Additionally, he is the second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to register over 1000 runs as an opening batter against England.
Rohit Sharma also surpassed retired West Indies captain Chris Gayle among openers with the most tons in international cricket. While Chris Gayle compiled 42 centuries during his illustrious career for the West Indies, Rohit Sharma sits at 43.
The Indian opening batter is only behind David Warner and Sachin Tendulkar in this segment, with the Australian topping the list with 49 tons. The God of Cricket trails David Warner with 45 hundreds as an opener.
Rohit Sharma matched batting stalwart and current Team India head coach Rahul Dravid's count of international tons.
He sits behind Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli in this department, who have 100 and 80 centuries, respectively, while Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid have 48 apiece.
Also, he leveled Sachin Tendulkar's milestone of having struck the maximum hundreds for India after the age of 30.
Both cricketers have 35 centuries to their names after turning 30.
Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma trail Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara and Australia's prolific run-scorers, Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting, in this special list.
This was the 36-year-old cricketer's sixth three-figure score in Test cricket since 2021, the most by an Indian in the last three years.
In the same period, Shubman Gill made 4 centuries while Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul hit three each.
With his hundred against England in Himachal Pradesh, Rohit Sharma took his tally of centuries in the World Test Championships (WTC) to nine. Only premier England batter Joe Root (13), Australia's Marnus Labuschagne (11), and New Zealand's Kane Williamson are ahead of the Team India skipper in terms of three-figure scores in the WTC.
It was his fourth hundred as India captain in Test matches. Rohit Sharma's predecessor, Virat Kohli, tops the list in this metric with 20 tons. Virat Kohli is followed by Sunil Gavaskar (11), Mohammad Azharuddin (9), Little Master Sachin Tendulkar (7), two-time World Cup winner MS Dhoni (5), Bengali icon Sourav Ganguly (5), MAK Pataudi (5), and current head coach Rahul Dravid (4) and Rohit Sharma (4).
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