In a candid conversation with Dinesh Karthik on Jio Cinema, Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma shared insights into his captaincy and his approach to the game. Known for his explosive batting, Rohit addressed the perceived significance of numbers in cricket, asserting that they are “overrated.”
Taking over as captain after Virat Kohli stepped down in 2021, Rohit Sharma reflected on his leadership philosophy. He expressed a desire to instill a change in the team’s mindset, urging players to focus on playing with freedom rather than getting caught up in statistics.
“I wanted to bring a certain change; players going out there and playing with a lot of freedom. That statistical side of cricket… I want to completely take it out of this team. People are not looking at numbers. People are not looking at their personal scores and just play the game. Numbers are overrated. In India, we do talk a lot about numbers and all of that. But like, yeah, I got five hundreds in 2019 World Cup but kya hua uska, haar gaye na (but what happened, we still lost)?” Rohit stated.
The captain acknowledged that leading the team across all five formats is draining but emphasized that it comes with the territory. He highlighted the excitement and honor of captaining the country, especially after being part of the core group and serving as vice-captain for several years.
“It is quite draining, but that is what you sign up for. When you take the responsibility, I think when the opportunity came to me to lead the team, I was excited. In the last 7-8 years, I’ve been part of that core group decision-making, vice-captain. I led in Virat’s absence a few times when he was not there, but yeah, obviously it’s a huge honor to be captaining your country. You know, I have seen many greats who have captained the team stalwarts in their way, so to be alongside them, you know, it’s a great honor. Great privilege,” Rohit added.
Currently leading the Indian team in the five-match Test series against England, Rohit Sharma’s refreshing perspective on the game resonates with a focus on playing for the love of cricket rather than getting bogged down by statistics.