23rd December, 2010
Having racked up 56 ODIs and 19 Twenty20 Internationals since making his Indian debut in September 2007, Rohit Sharma believes he is now ready for cricket’s biggest stage, if given the opportunity.
While Suresh Raina currently occupies the number-six berth in India’s Test batting order and fellow youngsters Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara wait in the wings, 23-year-old Sharma insists he can hold his own in the five-day fold.
With a questionable technique and particularly susceptible to the short ball in the past, the talented right-hander says he has put in corrective measures that will see him through the rigors of tough Test match competition.
“I want to play Test cricket for India. I am growing as a cricketer and I would like to do well in the longer format of the game. I have performed well in first-class cricket and I hope to carry it into the Tests, if given a chance,” the Times of India quoted Sharma as saying.
“I have learned from my mistakes and I have been working on my game. It’s true I have been in and out of the team but that is bound to happen.
“Every player goes through it and it’s good that it has happened to me early in my career. It’s been a learning curve. I only intend to improve from here.”
Meanwhile, the Mumbai star has to battle his way back into the ODI fold after being left out of the squad to take on South Africa next month, despite having scored back-to-back centuries against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in Bulawayo earlier this year.
The selectors have instead opted for all-rounder Yusuf Pathan and the in-form Virat Kohli, while Sachin Tendulkar makes a return to the limited-overs fold after a 10-month break.
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