After having carved a sublime 264, the highest score by any cricketer in One Day Internationals (ODIs), in the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India's middle-order batsman, Rohit Sharma, has set his eyes on the upcoming four-Test tour of Australia.
Rohit has struggled to nail down a permanent spot in the Test squad and featured in just one Test during the tour of England. Having battled fitness issues, he is now looking forward to the challenge of facing up to the mighty Australians on their own home soil.
"I have prepared well and I am looking forward to the challenge. When you're playing a Test series against Australia, you have to take them head on and be confident in your approach," Rohit said, in an interview with dna india.
Speaking about the approach to playing in Australian conditions, Rohit said one needs to be mentally strong and play positively. "Mentally, you have to be strong but you also have to be positive. You have to be on top of your game and not let the opposition get the upper hand," he said.
India haven't won a series in Australia previously and they were whitewashed by a 4-0 margin on their last tour down under. The inexperienced team will also be missing some of their iconic players over the years. Rohit said they will try to adhere to the seniors' advice during the upcoming tour. "They (Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman) were there the last time we toured Australia and they gave us a lot of advice on the conditions there. So I will try and keep those points in mind and use them as guidelines," Rohit noted.
The Australian tour will be followed by the 2015 World Cup, to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. India will be entering the tournament as the defending champions and Rohit was optimistic about retaining the crown. "Of course, we are serious contenders in any competition. We are the No. 1 side in ODI cricket," he signed off.
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