“Still hope to play few more years”: Rohit Sharma

Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma recently shared insights into his journey as an international cricketer and leader while hinting at his future in the sport.

Speaking on Dubai Eye 103.8 Radio Station, Sharma, who is also a key player for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, expressed his desire to continue impacting world cricket for years to come.

“The journey has been wonderful; to make it to the highest level is not easy, especially in the country from where I come from; it has been 17 years; I still hope to play a few more years as well and make an impact in world cricket,” said Rohit. Reflecting on the challenges and setbacks of his early career, Sharma acknowledged the struggles that shaped him both as a human and a player. “I have seen more downs than ups in my life, the human and person I am today is because of what I have seen in the past, and in the downs. When I started my career, I did not have a lot of positives. I did not have a lot of positive impact on the team. I was questioning whether I belonged here or not. It was about what I could do as a person or want in this life as a person and player,” he shared.

On the prestigious role of captaining India, Sharma described it as the ultimate honor. “Captaining your country is the biggest honour that you can have, and for me, I have never thought that this would arrive where I will be captaining one day. But yeah, people say good things happen to good people,” he explained.

Sharma also discussed his captaincy vision, emphasizing team success over individual achievements. “I was very fortunate to get that opportunity (to be a captain), and I knew the past captains who have had an impact in Indian cricket and the kind of legacy they have left as well. We have had so many great captains, so yeah, just taking from where these guys left, making sure that the team heads in the right direction. When I took over as India Captain, I just wanted everyone to drive in one direction, that is how the team sport should be played, it is not about personal milestones, stats and goals, it is about what all 11 of us can bring to the table and win the trophy,” he concluded.

Sharma also touched on how he handles the immense pressure of being a top athlete and role model in India, seeing it as a catalyst for revealing one’s true strengths. “I believe unless you are put under pressure, the real you does not come out so much. Sometimes you do not realise what kind of strengths you have as an individual, so when you are under pressure you try and bring out that strength,” he added.