« Back to article

Print this article

'As a captain, I have an additional responsibility'

Rohit Sharma has won four out of five matches since he replaced Ricky Ponting as the skipper of the Mumbai Indians side and the stylish batsman feels that leading the side is helping him evolve as a batsman too.

"As a captain, I have an additional responsibility to lead from the front with the bat and I have to be calm. Having said that, I try not to put pressure on myself thinking I have too much on my plate. It's a very good start that I have got. I would take that result as a captain," Rohit told IPLT20.com during an interview after his thrashed Chennai Super Kings by 60 runs.

"But I am not going to relax. We still need to play good cricket for the next five games and get to the Play-Offs comfortably."

'As a captain, you don't get much time in this format'

Rohit believes that keeping things simple is the mantra of success.

"I try not to over-think and keep it simple. I've realised that you've got to be calm on the field, to be able to take the right decisions. As a captain, you don't get much time in this format.

"You have to be quick in shuffling your plans and rotating your bowlers, at the same time, give your players the space they want."

'It's very important to analyse the match situation'

Quizzed on batting approach in T20 format, he replied,"I understand one very important thing that in this format you have a lot more time as a batsman than you think you do.

"People say it's a short format but if you think deeply and look at it closely, you will realise that you still have a lot of time as a batsman."

"So, I take my time and when I am required to go after the bowlers, I do that. In a T20 game it's very important to analyse the match situation."