Playing flamboyant shots is not a “crime” if they translate into results, reckons batting maestro Rohit Sharma, who says youngsters should have the freedom to express themselves freely.
Memorabale 2019
The 32-year-old had a memorable 2019 when he scored 10 hundreds across formats, including five in the World Cup.
Rohit shared his experiences of his early days as a cricketer during an interaction with the young trainees at his own cricket academy, here on Thursday.
“There is no harm in playing big shots, trying to play a flamboyant cover drive. When we were growing up and used to play shots in the air, we were taken out of the nets, which was not right because eventually you want the results,” said Rohit.
“If the guy is giving you results by playing the big shots, there is nothing wrong in that. As a young kid, growing in this generation, you want to play shots.
“You want to look good (while batting) but again it is very important what they think of their game and the understanding they have about the game,” he added.
“What we need to be careful of is, if the player is doing mistakes again and again, then he needs to be told how he should go about it the next time. I mean playing shots is not a crime.”
Rohit emphasised that backing the young players is important to make them confident about their game.
“I would encourage them to play shots if they want to, but at the same time they need to understand that they need to produce results, that’s the game. You score 100 off 50 balls or 200 balls, it doesn’t matter, it still is a hundred. These young players should be allowed to bat freely, that’s how they will produce results.”
