Colombo, July 23: Rohit Sharma is "very excited" to play Test cricket again as he prepares to face Sri Lanka in the 3-match rubber starting on July 26.
The Mumbai right-hander, who last featured in a five-day game back in October 2016 against New Zealand, wants to enjoy his return to red-ball cricket in the island nation.
Due to thigh injury, for which he underwent surgery in November 2016, he was ruled out of the home series against England, Bangladesh and Australia.
"I would like to stick to my strengths and the way I have been preparing over the years for Test matches or ODI cricket. I guess setting goals and thinking about benchmarks will only add pressure to your performance when you are out in the middle," Rohit told the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) website last night (July 22) when asked about the Sri Lanka series.
He continued, "You always know in the back of your mind that you have to score runs, as simple as that. I don't want to take different sorts of pressures about wanting to score runs. I'd rather just go out in the middle and try and enjoy the game because all the opportunities you get, you try and make the most of it and enjoy it."
The 30-year-old said it was a great feeling to return to Test team. "I know in the back of my mind what I need to do as an individual. But yes, having said that, I am here to enjoy my opportunity, enjoy my time with the boys. It is always a great feeling getting back to the whites. It has been a long time, the last Test match I played was in October and it's almost been a year. I am very excited to wear the whites and see what's in store for me."
In the two-day warm-up match against Sri Lanka Board President's XI, Rohit scored 38. The game ended in a draw yesterday.
OneIndia News