Rohit Sharma is having a dream run. After his magnificent double-hundred against Australia in a One-Day International in Bangalore, he scored a century on his Test debut at Eden Gardens in Kolkata this week.
The 26-year-old is in the form of his life. The double-hundred last week was only the third by a batsman in the history of ODI cricket, a format in which Sharma made his debut in 2007. He has played 108 ODIs for India.
The wait for Test cricket was much longer, but he has made the most of his opportunity in the ongoing match against the West Indies, with an innings of 177 that put India in control of the match Thursday.
He spoke with The Wall Street Journal ahead of this series about his form, captaining the Mumbai Indians, opening in ODIs, playing for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and more. Edited excerpts:
The Wall Street Journal: 2013 has been a good year for you. Are you feeling happy with the way things have progressed?
Rohit Sharma: Yes I am very happy with where I am. This year has been fantastic and a lot has been happening for me. I am not thinking about what happened in the past, because there is no point looking back. I am just raring to go again and continuing in the same vein. Consistency is the key for me.
WSJ: Talking about consistency, opening the innings in ODIs has really helped you. Is it because you have more overs to play now?
R. Sharma: Time is one thing, yes, and it allows building an innings properly. I haven’t really changed the way I bat just because I am opening in ODIs. Even my preparation is the same. A lot of times when I got an opportunity to play in the middle order, things just didn’t work out for some reason. But that is how life works sometimes. Personally I don’t feel I did badly in the middle order, but statistics will show you a different picture.
WSJ: Did it come as a surprise when you were moved up the order?
R. Sharma: It wasn’t a surprise in January when I opened against England. I had opened the innings before and I was ready to do it again. Cricket has changed. Batsmen should be ready to bat anywhere in the order as needed. But yes, in the Champions Trophy in England later in the summer, I was a bit surprised. There were two fulltime openers in the squad, Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay. I wasn’t aware till the morning of the first match that I was opening.
WSJ: Nobody expected a win at the Champions Trophy. How important were the roles M.S. Dhoni [captain] and Duncan Fletcher [coach] played with this young team?
R. Sharma: M.S. Dhoni is an incredible captain. He knows how to get the best out of his players and makes it fun for us at the same time. We challenged ourselves, and we came out victorious in England. He has a great track record, has won everything, across all formats, in all conditions. He is a great leader.
To those on the outside, Duncan Fletcher seems to have a silent role in the team. He doesn’t even talk much to the media. But he knows what he is doing. He knows what it takes to be at the top and he tells us how to raise the bar of performance. He has set very high standards for us and he inspires us at all times to achieve them. He lends great weight to the fitness aspect. The support staff is also great. We have Trevor Penney and Joe Dawes who have given us an energetic feel in the dressing room.
WSJ: You have had a taste of leadership yourself, leading Mumbai Indians successfully in the Indian Premier League and then in the Champions League Twenty20. How has that impacted you as a player?
R. Sharma: It was a great moment for me, when Mumbai Indians chose me as their captain. I haven’t had many captaincy stints in my career. Yes, I have led Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, but this atmosphere is totally different. It helped me gain confidence in my instincts. I tried to be hands-on and motivated. A captain must stay positive at all times and keep his chin up. I took joy in this leadership responsibility and it was a turning point for me personally.
WSJ: More than 100 ODIs and countless T20s, you missed out on Test cricket for long. Does that hurt?
R. Sharma: Oh absolutely. It was very disappointing. I did come close a couple of times in the past. But then I cannot do much about those circumstances. It is not in my hands and in a way it is alright, for there is no shortage of time. I believe good things are in store for me.
WSJ: Talking of Tests, India has a lot of Test cricket in 2013-14, starting with West Indies and then South Africa, onto New Zealand. Are you looking forward to it?
R. Sharma: South Africa are very strong opponents and we need to play them and assess ourselves. After that we have New Zealand and then England next summer, Australia and then finally the 2015 World Cup. It is a critical season of cricket for us. There are a lot of expectations with the Indian team and we can only fulfil them if we are able to compete against the best. We want to maintain our ODI no.1 ranking and regain the no.1 ranking in Tests as well. By winning the Champions Trophy in England, we have set the bar high and we want to maintain that standard of performance.
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