In ODIs I think two steps ahead: Rohit Sharma

Johannesburg, January 31 (KMW): Rohit Sharma’s outing in the recently concluded Test series against South Africa was anything but mediocre. In the four innings that he played Sharma could accumulate a mere 78 runs at an average of 19.50. However, despite being unable to replicate his form from the shorter formats Sharma has reiterated he does not need to make drastic changes and maintained that he is looking forward to making amends in the upcoming six-match ODI series which begins from Thursday.
“You need to tell yourself that the shots you played in Tests and shots you play in ODIs are different. I am talking about myself. Every individual has their own plan, but when you play Test cricket it is important to analyse the situation, where the game stands at that point, and one bad shot can change the course of the game,” espncricinfo quoted him saying.
Explaining the difference in approach in both the formats, he said, “In ODIs you think two steps ahead and want to put pressure back on the bowlers. And change it around. There are a lot of Test cricketers who think in the same fashion in ODI and Test cricket. For me, it is different and nothing changes other than mentally. Technical aspect remains the same. Yes, the shot selection and certain technical aspect of your game changes but mentally you have to keep telling yourself that you have to read the situation and try and analyse where the game is going and where you want the game to be going after the day’s play.”
“See, nothing is comfortable in cricket, in sport rather. There will always be times when things are not going your way, and then when things are going your way. It is important for you to keep things going. I’m not going to talk about Test cricket so much because it’s over now, and we have a big job at hand winning the ODI series here,” he further added.
Reflecting on the ODI series Rohit expressed his desire to make a substantial impact and said, “I think every batsman who will be taking part in this ODI series will have a huge role to play. I’m here to make an impact in the series, I want to try and do that. Both are different formats. It’s not that I don’t try so much in Test cricket and try a lot in ODI cricket. I give the same effort in all the formats that I play, but sometimes it comes off and sometimes it doesn’t.”
“But that doesn’t mean that you have to change things too much. You’ve got to believe in yourself, you’ve come so far and played and got success. So you have to believe in your ability and know how to take things forward. I’ve been in a difficult situation before many times, so for me it’s all about taking it one game at a time and responding to situations,” he concluded by saying.