India is officially in the ‘Cup’ season, and indeed, there is much to play for: Win ICC silverware for the first time in a decade, win the ODI World Cup as hosts for the first time since 2011, win the ODI World Cup in a year that marks the 40th anniversary of India’s 1983 World Cup triumph.

Amidst the wildfire of chatter around India being hosts, the India captaincy, individual performances, growth as a cricketer and batting risks. Ro-Hit Sharma had some crystal clear thoughts to offer in a sitdown chat with PTI (Press Trust of India).

The pressure of captaining a team in a home World Cup

“For me, it is important how I keep myself relaxed and not worry about external factors that play a role, whether positively or not negatively. I want to shut out everything,” Rohit told PTI in an exclusive interview just before joining the Asia Cup camp in Bengaluru.

“I want to get into the phase I was in before the 2019 World Cup. I was in good shape, a good mindset. I want to bring that back, and I have time to do that. Trying to recollect the right things I was doing before the 2019 World Cup as a cricketer and a person. I want to revisit that thought process of mine personally,” the skipper said.

His legacy in Indian cricket

“I am not the person who thinks about what kind of legacy I will leave behind,” Rohit said. “My legacy will be for people to judge and talk about. Not for me to say.”

“I am not a firm believer in numbers. You should be happy and enjoy the time you have in front of you, and try to live in that kind of moment. I am thinking about what gives me happiness,” he added.

“For me, it’s all about creating memories and creating a good rapport with my teammates. Be happy in whatever you get and whatever you have.”

Circle moment as a captain and player in the team selection process

As a captain

“While picking the best combination, there will be guys who will miss out for various reasons and Rahul bhai (Dravid), and I have tried our best to explain to the players why they are not in the squad.”

“We have tried to communicate with the players after every selection and playing XI that has been announced. We talk to them face to face, one-on-one why they have not been picked,” the Hitman said.

“Me, coaches, and selectors, take into account all factors like opposition, surfaces, our strengths, their weaknesses, and then reach a common ground. There is every chance that we will not be perfect always.

“At the end of the day, few individuals make decisions, and we are bound to make mistakes as humans. We won’t always be right,” he added with a pause.

As a player

“When I wasn’t picked in 2011, it was such a heart-breaking moment for me, and I felt what’s left after being dropped from a World Cup squad.”

“I was sad and sitting in my room and didn’t know what to do next. I remember Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh) calling me to his room and taking me out for dinner. He explained to me, ‘You have so many years in front of you. As we play in the World Cup, you take this chance to work hard on your game, skills and make a comeback. There is no way that you won’t play for India or not get a chance to play in the World Cup’.”

“I went back to the drawing board, worked hard and immediately after the World Cup, I made a comeback, and it has been good since then. Since this is me, who has gone through this emotion, no one can tell me that “easier said than done”.

“I have faced exclusion in a World Cup, and I know how it exactly feels.”

Eagerness to take batting risks

"I wanted to take more risks, which is why my numbers are slightly different now. My (ODI) strike rate (during this period) has increased, but the average has dipped a bit. This is exactly what our batting coach (Vikram Rathour) was telling me, ‘You have scored big runs because of the way you batted all these years and in the last few years, it (big runs) has not happened because you are taking risk," the skipper added.

"It was purely my choice. My usual batting is still my patent, but I wanted to try something else. I am very happy with the result."

"Everyone wants to bat long and score those 150s and 170s. I still want to do that, but it is always nice to do something that you have not done. It only adds up in your list of batting abilities. Unless you do it, you won't know it.”

"I know if I play high-risk shots, I will get out few times but I didn't bother. This was communicated by me to the management that this is how I want to play."

The indifferent ‘challenging’ nature of Indian pitches

"Look at my recent Test innings in India. I can tell you that batting in India is much more difficult now than batting overseas, especially in the last 2-3 years. The pitches that we have played on, it is more challenging than overseas. That's why we haven't spoken about runs and averages of batting unit. All of us agreed that we want to play on challenging pitches. I don't want to worry about what kind of averages we finish with,” Rohit said.

"That is how I think but different players will have different thought processes, and I don't want to change that. I am going to play on pitches that suit our bowlers,” he added.

Shelf life of captaincy

Rohit Sharma had a stern answer: "There is no such thing as shelf life.”

"You get a responsibility, you produce a result and more important is if you are happy with the responsibility that you have been entrusted with. This is more important questions than the shelf life."

"I am a person who goes with the flow. What I feel right now, I would want to do without thinking about what I want to do five or six months later. I like to take things as they come but prepare according to what is in store in the future."