Ahead of the World Test Championship final against Australia, Indian captain Rohit Sharma emphasized the challenges of batting in English conditions. Reflecting on his personal experience, Rohit acknowledged that one never feels fully "in" while batting in England, but develops an intuition for attacking the bowlers.
During an ICC event called 'Afternoon With Test Legends,' Rohit, alongside Pat Cummins, Ross Taylor, and Ian Bell, shared his insights. He emphasized the need for prolonged concentration and the importance of understanding one's strengths to succeed in England. Rohit highlighted the ever-changing weather conditions and the necessity of being mentally prepared.
He said, “One thing I realised in 2021, you are never in and the weather keeps changing. You need to keep concentrating for longer periods of time and you will get that intuition when it’s time to take on the bowlers. More importantly, you need to be out there and you have got to understand what your strengths are,” the skipper said."
Being someone who values data and analysis, Rohit suggested that knowing the scoring patterns of successful players at the Oval could be beneficial, although he does not aim to emulate them. He mentioned that the square boundaries at the Oval are quick.
Having played across formats for over a decade, Rohit acknowledged the challenge of adapting and tweaking his technique as per the requirements of different formats. He stressed the importance of mental adaptability and self-talk, particularly for younger players who are relatively new to the multi-format aspect of the game.
Despite his numerous successes in limited-overs cricket, Rohit regards Test cricket as the ultimate format. He finds the challenges in Test cricket bring out the best in him and the team. With recent success in Test cricket, Rohit aims to cross the final hurdle and instill confidence in the younger players, allowing them to express themselves freely on the field.
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(With PTI inputs)