Calcutta: Rohit Sharma on Tuesday asserted that India cannot afford to commit mistakes if they aspire to be the No.1 cricket team in the world. Currently ranked No. 2 in ODIs, India narrowly lost the one-day series opener in Kanpur by five runs against South Africa.
Rohit said although the team's death bowling and finishing abilities were a concern, the players were mature enough to make a comeback in the series.
"Things like this can happen but there are no excuses. We want to strive hard as a team. If we want to be the No.1 team we cannot commit these kinds of mistakes. I hope we won't keep repeating our mistakes... We all are mature enough to go handle such situations," Rohit, who struck a superb 150 in a losing cause in the first ODI said.
Indian bowlers gave away more than 100 runs in the last 10 overs with South Africa ODI skipper AB de Villers going hammer and tongs. Asked about India's bowling woes, Rohit said Umesh Yadav and Co. need to be smart and proactive against destructive batsmen like De Villiers.
"It (death bowling) remains a concern, there is no doubt about it. We cannot run away from that but when you are bowling to a player like De Villiers, you need to be extra smart, and be more proactive. It's a concern but all the bowlers are working on it. In the last few games, not only against South Africa but in Bangladesh and Australia as well, we made small mistakes in the last five overs," he said.
While he has been in rollicking form, his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan is going through a lean patch. "Shikhar was the highest run-getter for us in the World Cup. He was the highest run-getter in Bangladesh. A couple of games shouldn't be a worry," Rohit said.
Over the years, Rohit has developed a habit of scoring consistently and said it has been his conscious effort to play big innings all over the world. "It's not just about batting in India. I want to bat as much as possible anywhere not just in India. I want to keep going. Being a top-order batsman it's a big responsibility to bat through the innings and get the team to a winning position. At home you know the conditions better than any other place in the world. That's a slight advantage when you play in India," he said.
"Whenever you bat, you try to make the most out of it. For the past few years, it has been my effort to bat as long as possible anywhere in the world."
Rohit was also all praise for Ajinkya Rahane, with whom he shared a 149-run stand for the second wicket in Kanpur. "Rahane was playing his first game. He was batting in a new position. I felt he batted pretty well. He complemented me very well.
"Coming from the same state, we played our cricket together so we know each other's game well. He got off to a very good start and I am sure he would like to continue and score more runs," Rohit said.
In Kanpur, Rahane came in at No. 3 in place of Virat Kohli and Rohit said time will tell whether the team would continue with this batting line-up in the upcoming matches.
"It's a thought we need to look into carefully. It really depends on what MS (Dhoni) thinks about it. I know Virat has scored most of his runs batting at No.3 and now Ajinkya has got in at No.3 and scored some runs. I don't know whether it's a permanent solution, time will only tell what will be the ideal batting line up for us. No. 3, 4 and 5 are very crucial positions in any format. Whatever is decided will be best for the team," Rohit said.
