"I know the importance of opening the innings. I am glad I could make it count. It's always important to embrace the challenge, it's not going to be easy. Back in Durham we had time off to look at our training and technique and after the World Test Championship final we had 20-25 days, that was a real game-changer."
Indian opening batsman Rohit Sharma, who was adjudged as man of the match after scoring his maiden century in the away Tests, was elated to contribute to the team's emphatic 157-run win over England in the fourth Test here at the Kennington Oval on Monday.
Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul got the visitors off to a fantastic start in the second innings. Rohit's century turned the tide in India's favour. Other Indian batsmen chipped in with useful contributions as well, helping visitors set a massive target of 368.
"I wanted to be on the field as much as I could. That hundred was special. We know how important was the second innings. Virat just mentioned the effort from the batsmen, and as a unit it was really important. It's my first overseas hundred. Really glad that I could get the team into an important position," Rohit Sharma said in the post-match presentation.
"The three-figure mark wasn't in my mind; we knew the pressure on the batting unit so we kept our heads down and batted the situation. Once we got the lead, we just wanted to put pressure on the bowlers. I try to contribute for the team, it's important for me," he added.
Rohit Sharma said it is important to embrace the challenge.
"I know the importance of opening the innings. I am glad I could make it count. It's always important to embrace the challenge, it's not going to be easy. Back in Durham we had time off to look at our training and technique and after the World Test Championship final we had 20-25 days, that was a real game-changer."
Rohit did not take the field in England’s 2nd innings and BCCI had informed on Sunday that Rohit along with Cheteshwar Pujara suffered an injury. Rohit had discomfort in his left knee while Pujara had pain in his left ankle.
Talking about that injury, Rohit said: "Looks (the injury) good at the moment, the message from the physio is that we got to assess every minute."
