A day after slamming a sensational 138, the highest score by an Indian at Lord’s, Rohit Sharma spoke about the ‘outside noise’. The reason: the buzz surrounding his potential ‘last ODI’, which spread like wildfire before the third India vs England ODI. Rohit Sharma responded in true Hitman style after knocks of 11 and 26 had sown the seeds of doubt. Rohit slammed the first-ever ODI century by an Indian at Lord’s, and it was enough for the detractors to be silenced.
In an interview with the BCCI, Rohit admitted he knows that speculation won’t stop while he is still playing, but he would rather focus on scoring runs instead of fighting it.
“The noise, since I made my debut, was there. Till I am going to stay here, it is always going to be there, so it doesn’t really matter too much,” the 39-year-old, who became the oldest Indian centurion and the first Indian to score an ODI ton at Lord’s, told BCCI.TV.
“What really matters is what I do on the field, try and contribute to the success of the team. That’s where all my focus is. Let the noise be there; if there is no noise, there is no fun. My job is inside, their job is outside, that’s how I look at it.
“My job is with the bat, to come and play, represent my country; that’s what I have been told to do since I made my debut, so that’s what I am going to do,” added the man who is within touching distance of 12,000 ODI runs.
Former India star Ravichandran Ashwin was asked about this ‘outside noise’, and he gave an interesting reply.
“You can call it outside noise, but don’t tell me it’s outside noise. This is definitely not outside noise. There is a saying in Tamil: without fire, there is no smoke. There was fire, and he scored,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
With a facile 138 at Lord’s on Sunday, Rohit could not prevent India’s 27-run loss, but he didn’t look his usual self, possibly trying to mask the insult and hurt he must have felt.
Under pressure, his 34th ODI ton was one of his best knocks in recent times. Rohit said he has always enjoyed playing in England.
“I love playing in England. The atmosphere, the grounds, the pitches – when you turn up to play any format over here, it challenges you in different ways. And that’s what you want as a cricketer: to be challenged in every way possible. I enjoyed being out there in the middle,” he said.
