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'I got out, but I back myself to play those shots', says Rohit Sharma after his dismissal

Rohit Sharma after the second day's play said that he had no regrets after getting out to that shot as it's a role he has been assigned to by the team

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Rohit Sharma got out to Nathan Lyon in an attempt to hit a big shot | BCCI/Getty
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Team India's vice-captain Rohit Sharma, who was at the receiving end of the flak from many after the way he got out on the second day of the Brisbane Test, defended his play at the end of the day saying that 'this is a role he has been assigned to by the team'.

Rohit was playing really well and had negogiated the initial burst from the Australian bowlers. However, a rush of blood let him attack the off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who is playing his 100th Test, and challenge the long-on fielder and holed out after playing what could have been a great knock. Former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar was the most vocal about Rohit's 'irresponsible' shot saying that being a senior players he should have understodd that this kind of shot was not needed after he already had got a boundary in that over.

However, Rohit didn't have any regrets of playing that shot as he wanted to maintain the pressure on the Australian bowlers. 

'Don't regret, that's my game'

Speaking after the end of the day's play in a virtual press conference, Rohit said, "It's not coming out of nowhere, it's the shot that I play and I've played it very well in the past. It's something that I really back myself to do all the time.

"That is the kind of role that I play in this team, you know. And it was...when it looks like that it looks bad but you know that is something that I don't really think too much into. My focus has always been - once I'm in, obviously I want to make it count, make it big. Having said that, there is a process I like to follow and the process is obviously to make sure that once I'm in, I'm on top of the bowlers. And I'm trying to keep the pressure on the bowling unit of the opposition. Sometimes you get out, sometimes it goes over the ropes. Yeah, it was unfortunate and a very sad dismissal to be honest in the end. But again like I said those are my shots and I'll keep playing them, " the 33-year old batsman added.

This is also not the first time when Rohit has done that and thrown his wicket away after getting set for a big one. Whether it was Delhi Test in 2015 or against England in Southampton in 2018, or in the same year against the Aussies in Adelaide, Rohit's habit of taking his wicket has been a cause of concern for him and a big reason for his inconsistency in Test matches for India.

Even though he got out playing an unnecessary shot in the words of Gavaskar, Rohit has looked confident against one of the world's best bowling line-up. However, it was a different wicket at the Gabba from the SCG.

'Had to adjust to the bounce at Gabba compared to SCG'

Asked about what were the adjustments he had to make, Rohit said, "Speaking of the adjustment, we saw in Sydney there wasn't much bounce so I was just trying to stay leg-stump [legside] off the ball. And here I knew the line and lengths they bowl here, particularly the two right handers, they try and test you outside the off stump all the time. So I was just trying to adjust myself, I came a little bit to the off-stump to make sure I cover the line and not push my hand outside off stump. That is the little adjustment I did."

Rohit has had scores of 26. 52 and now 44 in the three innings he has played and hasn't looked tentative at all after staying away from the game for a while and coming out of a 14-day quarantine.

'Had to figure a way out'

Speaking about his preparations, Rohit said, "Watching the first two Tests in Adelaide and Melbourne while I was in quarantine, I saw the discipline that the Australian bowling had. You have to try and figure out a way to score runs against these guys, they don't give anything so easy. It was something I was trying to think about my batting while I was not playing.

"So it was something that really worked in the first half of my batting when they were bowling with the new ball - just getting closer to the ball, making sure that anything that is slightly outside off stump I try and leave. And once I'm in, I try and play some shots as well because that is what you want at the end of the day, to score runs and try and see how they react when you're scoring runs. That is something I did, and it worked out until I got out.

"The team has shown a lot of confidence in my ability at the top. Just that I have to do what the team expects me to do, not to worry about what happens anywhere else or what people talk about. The team expects me to play a certain role at the top of the order and I will try to do it as much as I can," the opening batsman added.

India finished the day at 62-2 in reply of Australia's 369 before rain came in and had a more than a little dance as the play couldn't resume after the tea break.

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