IPL captaincy was the turning point for me - Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma has credited his captaincy stint with Mumbai Indians for his revival in 2013

Rohit Sharma found a new lease of life in international cricket in 2013, and credits his rise to the successful stint as Mumbai Indians skipper for it.

“The IPL captaincy gave me lot of confidence and it helped me when I played international cricket,” he told Indian Express recently.

2014 however wasn’t so kind for Rohit who struggled in South Africa and New Zealand, getting starts sometimes but not capitalising.

“I had a good home series but the tours of South Africa and New Zealand did not go as expected. Test cricket is very different and I realised it post South Africa tour. I don’t want to give any excuse but I was disappointed with the way I batted,” he said.

“I went to South Africa after scoring two Test hundreds at home. Instead of trying to spend more time at the crease, I played my shots. The way I was getting out was wrong and it was my mistake.”

Rohit’s spectacular run came in home conditions, which has raised critic’s voices against his performance outside the subcontinent.

“When you play in India the ball comes nicely to bat but that’s not the case away from home. I’m just six Test matches old. Playing Tests abroad was a new experience not only for me but for everyone. Except Zaheer Khan and MS Dhoni, most of the players did not have the experience of playing outside the sub-continent. We understood the importance of each session,” Rohit explained.

In IPL, it’s a new look Mumbai Indians side, with Michael Hussey, who has been a regular fixture for Chennai Super Kings since the start of the T20 league, joining the men in blue.

“On a personal note, I’m looking forward to learning from Hussey how he manages to be so consistent,” Rohit said.