Mumbai: Playing flamboyant shots is not a ‘crime’ if they translate into results, according to Indian opener Rohit Sharma, who has said youngsters should have the freedom to express themselves freely on the pitch. The 32-year-old had a memorable 2019 when he scored 10 hundreds across all formats, including five in the World Cup.
Rohit shared his experiences of his early days as a cricketer during an interaction with the young trainees at his own cricket academy, here Thursday.
“There is nothing harm in playing big shots, trying to play a flamboyant cover drive. When we were growing up and used to play shots in the air, we were taken out of the nets, which was not right because eventually you want the results,” said Rohit.
“If the guy is giving you results by playing the big shots, there is nothing wrong in that. As a young kid, growing in this generation, you want to play shots. You want to look good (while batting) but again it is very important what they think of their game and what understanding they have about the game.
“What we need to be careful of is, if the player is doing mistakes again and again. Then he needs to be told how he should go about it next time. I mean playing shots is not a crime,” added the flamboyant Indian opener.
Rohit emphasised that backing the young players is important to make them confident about their game.
“I would encourage all to play shots if they want to but at the same time they need to understand that they need to produce results, that’s the game. You score 100 off 50 or 200 balls, it doesn’t matter it still is a century,” asserted Rohit.
“I mean if the guy is confident about his skills, I would back him. There should not be any restriction on how these young players want to bat. They should be allowed to bat freely, that’s how they will produce results,” added Rohit.
The India opener also wished the defending champions and India U-19 team the best for the upcoming World Cup in South Africa.
“Our team look very strong as always. We won the last time. I wouldn’t say that we will win this year as well. I am sure about one thing – they are going to play really hard. They have got great coaching staff. Of course, it’s a big platform and in big platforms, India team generally tend to do well. I hope they bring the Cup back home,” Rohit signed off.
Agencies