India opener Rohit Sharma said India’s 2019 World Cup semi-final exit against New Zealand left him disappointed despite his the personal success he achieved at the showpiece event, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Rohit, who became the first batsman to score five hundreds in a single edition, amassed 648 runs from nine matches – finishing as the highest run-getter in the tournament.
“It is always nice to get runs and do well for the team, but for what purpose you went there, if that is not achieved, then you are not happy,” the 32-year-old was quoted as saying.
“Personally I can say I batted well and all that, but we didn’t win the World Cup. That was disappointing, so the hundreds I scored will not matter so much. If with that hundred we could have won the tournament, I would have been two times happier,” he added.
The next biggest test for Rohit in his career would be the upcoming away Test series against the same opposition. Rohit, last year, achieved instant success after being promoted as an opener in the five-day format, that saw him notch nine tons in a single calendar year but the tour of the Kiwis will be the first occasion where he will face the red ball outside India as an opener.
“It is a good challenge, but I am not looking that I want to score overseas. I want to score everywhere. The bottom line is if I am playing cricket, I want to score everywhere,” he said.
“New Zealand is a very formidable team. They play as a team, and are very good in planning and execution. That is what makes them a very dangerous team, and in their backyard, they play really well. I have been there before so I know what to expect,” he added.
Rohit is not thinking too far ahead and wants to be prepared mentally for the challenge beforehand. “I have been around the world enough to understand what to expect and I will first get my mindset ready and then I will start preparing once we get to New Zealand because we have a few series before that,” he said.