Famous Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma has discussed the difficulties of playing the game’s longest format and the need for mental toughness and focus to keep playing. After playing 67 Test matches for the Indian side, 24 of which he captained, Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the red-ball format in May of this year.
When Rohit Sharma career was taking off, he admitted that the red-ball structure of the game was “draining” and “challenging.” He went on to say, nevertheless, how Mumbai’s cricket culture aided in the development of his early stamina and later played a significant role in his Test career.
The game requires longevity, so it’s something you plan for. In particular, the test structure requires you to stay for five days. It is incredibly difficult and exhausting on a mental level. However, every cricket player has grown up playing First-Class cricket. Even in Mumbai, club cricket matches last two or three days when we begin playing at a competitive level. As a result, we are conditioned to play cricket from an early age. According to The Telegraph, Rohit said, “It kind of makes it a little easier on how to respond to situations that are there in front of you.”
Rohit Sharma acknowledged that it takes time to understand the value of discipline. Additionally, he disclosed that one of the key components of a profession in which one may perform at peak intensity for most of the time without sacrificing quality is staying “mentally fresh.”
“You don’t realise how important preparation is when you’re really young. As you go, you realise that it provides you with the discipline that the game requires, so it begins with planning and knowing exactly what you have to do. Playing the longest format requires a lot of work, and focus is crucial because you are talking about high-level performance, and putting in high-level performance begins with maintaining mental freshness at all times, he stated.
demands a great deal of focus: Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma went on to discuss how crucial it is to be able to adjust to a variety of circumstances when playing Test cricket. When playing the format, he suggested that cricket players divide a full day’s play into three sessions and proceed accordingly.
“A day consists of three sessions, with one-hour intervals in between. After sort of breaking it up into those parts, you continue on. Since the bowlers are clearly bowling at you and there are many various kinds of bowlers that will challenge you and bowl at you, it takes a lot of focus while you bat. You must continue to converse with yourself in your mind. How will I play if it’s a spinner, and how should I play if it’s a quick bowler? “Obviously, that takes a lot of focus,” he continued.
Rohit Sharma represented India in 67 red-ball international matches. In 116 innings, he scored 4301 runs at an average of 40.57. In the format, the Nagpur native amassed 12 hundreds and 18 fifties. Before hanging up his boots for Tests, the star batsman had already retired from Twenty20 Internationals, but he was still leading and playing for the Men in Blue in One-Day Internationals.