Half of my career over, no point fretting over Tests:Rohit

Mumbai :India’s limited-overs run-machine Rohit Sharma today said there was no point fretting over his start-stop Test career as “half” of his playing days were over.

Now, he just wants to enjoy the remainder of his playing career. “There’s limited time you have as a player and I have finished almost half of it. There’s no point in spending the remaining half thinking whether I’ll be picked or not. I am going forward with the theory of ‘whatever time I have, make it count’,” said Sharma, responding to questions on his below-par record in red-ball cricket.

Despite possessing an impressive record in limited-overs cricket, Sharma has failed to justify his talent in the longer format, scoring just 1479 runs at an average of 39.97 from the 25 Tests he has played. Due to his inconsistent performances in South Africa, he has been dropped from India’s squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Bengaluru, starting June 14.

But he’s not complaining. “I am not at a stage to worry about whether I’ll be picked or not. I need to enjoy my game.

The first five-six years of my career, it was all about ‘oh, will I be picked? Will I play’! Now it’s all about enjoying the game. These things keep adding pressure on you. Instead, it’s best to enjoy yourself in what you do and give your best,” he said.

Asked whether he was surprised by his axing from the Test squad against Afghanistan, he replied: “I was not. As I said, I can only keep enjoying my game. There’s no time to regret about anything. I’ve had enough time to regret in the past. We have got big events coming up, so best to focus on it.”