01 September,2015 09:16 AM IST | | PTI
There was a lot of criticism from all quarters when Rohit Sharma was moved down the batting order from one drop to No 5 but the talented right-hander is of the opinion that 'no one owns any particular batting slot'
Rohit Sharma en route his 50 in Colombo yesterday
Colombo: There was a lot of criticism from all quarters when Rohit Sharma was moved down the batting order from one drop to No 5 but the talented right-hander is of the opinion that 'no one owns any particular batting slot' in this team.
Rohit Sharma en route his 50 in Colombo yesterday. Pic/Solaris Images
Rohit ended the Test series as the second highest run-getter (202 runs) behind skipper Virat Kohli (233) with his second half-century in the series. Asked about his preferred batting slot, Rohit said, "If you ask anyone, they are not going to say this is my number. Nowhere it's written in the world that No 4 belongs to this person, No 3 belongs to that person. As a batsman, you want to bat as up the order as possible to get more opportunities, face more balls and score big runs.
"But the management felt I should bat at No 5 and they came and spoke to me and I was okay with whatever they wanted. I cannot have my own preference, it's a team game and you do what the team wants from you," Rohit said. With Cheteshwar Pujara scoring a career-changing century, the pressure is back on Rohit but he is not unduly perturbed.
"The pressure I feel will be on the management and the captain to decide the playing XI, not on me. I have to play my game when I get an opportunity. That's how I look at it." On the overall position of the match, Rohit exuded confidence that India will clinch it today. "We stand in a very good position right now. We have given them a target of 386 on a wicket like this, which has something for the bowler throughout the day whether its spinners or fast bowlers.
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'Pitch will assist spinners'
"Most of the wickets have been taken by seamers but the spinners have also taken some wickets. Going into the fifth day, obviously it will assist spinners a little bit more. "But the fast bowlers have done a job for us in this game and they have bowled really well. So I expect nothing but to come out and give the same effort as we did in the first innings."
202
Number of runs scored by Rohit Sharma in three Tests. He ends the series as the second highest run-getter behind Virat Kohli (233)
