''Hyderabad ground has always been lucky for me''

yderabad, Oct 2 (UNI) Overjoyed after his 105 against world champions Australia at his 'lucky Hyderabad ground,' Board President-XI top order batter Rohit Sharma said he had only done his job and the knock here today was not not any telling reply to the Indian selectors for dropping him from the Test squad.

''It was a great feeling for the great knock against the world champions (Australia),'' Rohit reacted at a post match media interaction here.

''Hyderabad (Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium) ground has always been lucky for me,'' Rohit, who was the main stay of the local franchise Deccan Chargers in the last season of the Indian Premier League, said.

''I went in with a lot of confidence (at my lucky ground) though there was pressure,'' he said adding that he had walked in when the Board President-XI were down with three for 59.

Though Rohit felt bad on his exclusion from the 15-member squad named yesterday for the first two test matches against the Aussies, he did not accept suggestions that his bat had talked (to the selectors).

''This is nothing against my selection nor against the selectors though there might have been some bad feeling (on being overlooked).

I had gone there (in the middle to bat today) for a job and was very happy to have done so at Hyderabad against Australia,'' a beaming Rohit with a sense of satisfaction over the achievement said.

''I would like to do it again (scoring a century against Australia) if given an opportunity again'' he left with a statement which was open for interpretation.

At the same time, he clarified that nothing much should be read at his meeting last night in the hotel with (Indian Cricket Selection Committee Chairman) Krishnaamachari Srikanth.

''Srikanth asked me to play well,'' Rohit quipped.

Rohit also paid handsome compliments to Virat Kohli (Indian junior cricket squad skipper) for playing a great knock and the match boosting 146-run partnership with him for the fifth wicket which brought back Board President-XI into the match after its top order batting collapsed.

''We decided we should hang on and when the pacers, Lee and Johnson, were given a break to take on the spinners and our plan worked,'' he said.

Rohit also attributed today's century, his second in the first class cricket, to the workout he had with Garry Kirsten, the South African born Indian coach during the just concluded tour of Sri Lanka.

''He had helped me in improving some techniques and I had learnt from the seniors during the tours,'' he said.

The Sri Lankan tour was a great booster and had helped in building confidence in me which had worked today, he added.

Australian coach Tim Nielson found great talent in Rohit Sharma and Virat kolhi, both of whom had scored centuries against Australia today, and felt that they could be grooomed for the future matches at higher level.

UNI XR/DB AB KP2207