‘I learnt from my mistakes’

By Akshay Sawai

Not the Champions League football final. Not even so much the Narendra Modi swearing-in. The topic trending in Mumbai since Sunday is Mumbai’s sensational win over Rajasthan in the IPL. On Tuesday, the eve of the team’s Eliminator against Chennai, captain Rohit Sharma spoke to ETPanache about the match and a variety of other subjects, including Narendra Modi. Excerpts:
You said after the match your heartbeat was high. Has it normalised now?

Now, you can say so. You don’t get to see such games often. 14 overs, 190 runs... I’m glad it came in front of the right people, the Mumbai crowd. They were superb. The DJ got off at 10 pm. But we never felt it. There was so much noise in the stadium.

Give us a word each for the game’s heroes — Corey Anderson, Ambati Rayudu and Aditya Tare.

‘Brilliance’ for Corey. ‘Smartness’ for Rayudu. ‘Fearless’ for Tare.

People said that you had an attitude problem, but since last year, you have been a responsible captain. How did the naughty boy become class monitor?

(Laughs) You mature as you grow older. In sport, you have to be disciplined, else things will not work out for you. People here also tend to catch you easily. The media, people who watch and talk cricket...

Are you saying you were lacking discipline earlier on?

Yes, at the start of my career. It’s a natural process. You come into the team, you see glamour and get excited and make mistakes. But the important thing is to learn from mistakes, as I did. I have changed and I know my responsibilities now.

You’ve shed excess weight and are looking lean. Like all Indian mothers, does your mother say, “Beta, patle ho gaye ho, aur khaana khao”?

That’s the first thing that happened when she saw me after a month-and-ahalf in 2011. I was not in the World Cup team, so I had used the time to go on a fitness programme. My mother saw me directly on TV, during IPL 2011. She called and said, ‘What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?’ I explained but it’s difficult to make mothers understand.

Did you follow the elections?

We were in Dubai playing the IPL. But yes, I did follow them. I also watched the swearing-in ceremony. I’m a big supporter of Narendra Modi. I had the opportunity to meet him during a match in Ahmedabad a few years ago. I hope India becomes bigger, better and stronger under him.

You love cars. Any special person in your life who can sit beside you?

Unfortunately not. If there is someone meant to be sitting beside me, it will happen. I don’t want to rush into it. But when the opportunity comes, I will take it with both hands.