Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli during the IPL
On his recent birthday, Rohit gave an interview that got fans talking. Many believe he may have taken a subtle dig at Virat Kohli, who often faces criticism for scoring runs at a slower strike rate. But did Rohit really target Kohli with his comments? Let’s take a closer look at what he said in the interview.
When it comes to being the leader of the intent, Rohit Sharma has been the kind of cricketer who values team success over personal milestones. In a recent interview around his 38th birthday, Rohit made headlines with his bold statement about the significance of scoring big runs in tournaments like the IPL. He firmly stated that scoring 500-600 runs in a season doesn’t hold much value if it doesn’t lead to a title win. He said:
My target has never been to score a certain number of runs in a season. I want to win matches and for that, I have always given my best. It doesn’t matter if you score 600-700 runs and aren’t winning a trophy. It (The runs) won’t matter. I have learned my lessons during the 2019 World Cup itself. If you aren’t able to reach the final and win trophy then what will I do with those 500-600 runs? It might be good for me but not for the team.
Using his own career as an example, Rohit reflected on the 2019 ODI World Cup where he was the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 648 runs, including five centuries. Despite his record-breaking performance, India failed to win the World Cup, losing in the semi-final to New Zealand. That experience, according to him, taught a valuable lesson that individual records are great, but without a team trophy, they feel empty.
Rohit emphasized that his main aim has never been to chase runs or win the Orange Cap in the IPL. Instead, his goal has always been to contribute meaningfully to team victories. He even pointed out a powerful stat: whenever Mumbai Indians won the IPL, none of their players ended up with the Orange Cap, a clear indicator that team success isn’t always about one batter scoring heaps of runs. He added:
But I am not claiming that my 30 runs are helping the team to win. My focus is on making contributions that benefit the team. Before I used to think I have to score runs (but not anymore). Whenever MI has won a trophy, nobody from our team has won the Orange Cap. There’s a reason behind that.
He clarified that he doesn’t believe his 30-run knocks automatically win games, but his focus has shifted toward impactful contributions that help the team win rather than stacking up personal numbers. This mindset is especially important now that he’s no longer the captain of Mumbai Indians. Rohit was replaced by Hardik Pandya last season but said that his core role as a batter responsible for winning matches remains unchanged. Rohit also spoke about Mumbai Indians’ recent struggles, saying that the last 3-4 seasons haven’t gone as expected.
Being India’s current Test captain and one of the senior-most players in the team, Rohit Sharma opened up about his journey in Test cricket, how he feels about his performances, and how he deals with the expectations and criticism that come with leadership. Rohit has played 67 Test matches so far and has an overall average of 40.57. However, when it comes to overseas performance, the numbers dip as his average outside India stands at 31.01.
He has particularly struggled in Australia, where he averages just 24.38, and in South Africa, where the average drops even further to 16.63. On the other hand, England has been a relatively successful venue for him; he averages 44.66 in Tests played there, and as an opener, that figure is almost the same at 44.54. This is especially important as India is set to tour England soon for a five-Test series. On this, he said:
As long as you play a sport, you will never be happy with the performances! I am happy with what god has given me rather than think about why I didn’t do this, that. It’s all written in the destiny – you will get this amount. Whatever I do, I am going to get only this. I don’t want to be hyper self critical with Test cricket; I am happy with what I have done.
Despite his recent poor performances, such as averaging only 6.20 in five innings on the recent Australia tour and 15.16 in three home Tests against New Zealand, Rohit has made it clear that he still wants to be part of the Test team, especially for the England series. Although he hasn’t started thinking deeply about that tour yet due to his current focus on the ongoing IPL, he has already expressed hope that key pacers like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami stay fit and available for the England series.
When talking about his Test career overall, Rohit showed a calm and mature attitude. He doesn’t seem overly concerned about not achieving sky-high numbers in the format. He believes in doing what he can and accepting the results as part of destiny. For him, it’s more about staying grounded than chasing impossible standards. He doesn’t dwell on what could have been or beat himself up for not reaching certain milestones. His mindset is to be content with what he has accomplished and focus on the present.
One of the main points Rohit emphasized is the importance of managing expectations, not just from fans and critics, but also from himself. He believes it’s crucial to have realistic goals and not try to please everyone. In his view, only those close to him know the true struggles behind the scenes as the effort during training, the sacrifices, and the emotional ups and downs.
You don’t have to live to keep other people’s expectations; it’s about what you want. What the world thinks and expects doesn’t matter, as they are not part of my journey. No one knows how I have dealt with training, and handled ups and downs in my life, and no one apart from your close ins don’t know about it. I don’t keep unreal expectations, it’s simple, and it’s my expectations.
This personal understanding gives him the strength to ignore external noise and focus on what he wants to achieve rather than what others expect from him. As for dealing with the pressures of being captain, Rohit admits it’s not always easy. Over the past couple of years, he has been at the centre of both highs and lows for the Indian team. He led India to the final of the ODI World Cup in 2023 and also won the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy. He said:
I have understood the system: when you do well, the reaction is too much, and the same when you don’t do well. Too much on both times. What can I do about this? Just go with it. If you don’t do well, get ready for criticism. I am not saying one shouldn’t criticise, but you have to be mindful of criticism. Just that it shouldn’t be personal and should not have any agenda. One who is sensible knows how to criticise.
But he was also in charge during some tough series losses, like the 0-3 whitewash at home against New Zealand and a 1-3 series loss in Australia. Rohit seems to have developed a strong sense of perspective over time and understood that in Indian cricket, reactions to success and failure are often extreme. When a player or captain performs well, there’s overwhelming praise, but the same people can turn highly critical when things go wrong.