Rohit Sharma now feels he has played enough cricket to believe his own judgment, as he did in what will be seen as a potentially game-changing Test match against Bangladesh, when India, without the game losing more than 220 overs thanks to weather, won by seven wickets. After a complete washout on day two and three, the Indian team managed to score at an unprecedented eight runs plus per over to set it up nicely with a total of only 173.2 overs needed for a result.
"I have been (out) there enough to trust my judgments on what I do," Rohit told BCCI.TV after India completed a 2-0 sweep of Bangladesh. Rohit said he has an open door for suggestions but the onus is completely on him. "The decisions that I take on the field, I then go by it.". Of course, there are guys around me who are open to giving suggestions but, at the end of the day, I trust my mind and my judgment and that's all that matters when you are playing," the 'Hit Man' maintained.
He knows that not every instinctive call will always work, but one needs experience and knowledge of situations to back it. At the highest level, you have to have a bit of everything. You have to be calm to take decisions wisely; you have to take a lot of decisions, and not every decision will go your way, but you have to back it and use your experience and knowledge, that is what I do," he said.
Rohit has no doubt that had India's ultra-aggressive approach gone off track, his team would have copped flak. "What was important is what we are thinking inside the change room, and that's what matters and that's what we went with". The bowlers came to the party first, getting us the wickets we wanted; when we came in, we had to take a few risks, and the result could easily have tilted either side, but I was okay with it and so was the coach, because you must be brave enough to take certain decisions and also play that way,\" he said. "It was a clear plan that we want a result and how we can get that result, and everybody started finding answers for that.
I feel it's an exceptional series that may go unnoticed," the skipper felt. Rohit was very pleased with fielding as the team took 23 out of the 24 catches that came its way. "I was just informed, 24 catches came our way, and we took 23, great result, especially in India where the ball doesn't carry in slips and because they were standing way ahead than they normally do. The catches are hard to take as reaction time is very less,\" he explained. "And I have seen everyone put in a lot of effort in getting those things right.". (T) Dilip (fielding coach) is actually helping the players with some crucial catches that are turning the game around, he informed. Rohit has never believed in aggressive body language as that is not his style of functioning on the field.
"I think aggression for me is all about actions. It's not about my reactions.". The kind of batting we do, the kind of field positioning we do, the kind of bowling we do, that to me is aggression," he said. But he doesn't mind when a Mohammed Siraj walks up to a batter for a conversation as it might play on the mind of the latter. "You saw Siraj, superb athlete; he gives everything on the field he has.". Even on flat pitches when nothing is happening, he wants to do something-talking to the batter, making him uncomfortable so that teams get into the game; it's happening for some years now," he added.
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