India's defeat in the first ODI left Rohit Sharma frustrated as his innings of unbeaten 171 runs went in vain on Tuesday at the Waca in Perth against Australia.
In a number of occasions, Rohit has scored these big-daddy hundreds but ended up being on the losing side at the end of those matches. It happened yet again in the first ODI. That left Rohit disappointed as his outstanding knock in Perth could not help India register their first win in this ongoing series.
"It was a great knock and it is always important to start the series on a positive note. (But) it was disappointing in the end not to be on the winning side because that is what matters at the end of the day. How many runs you score doesn't matter if your team doesn't end up winning," Rohit was quoted as saying by BCCI.tv.
"Personally, it was important that I could get the team off to a good start and then carry on the momentum from there. That is exactly what I did."
Rohit, who was part of the losing side last three times he scored a century, is hungry for more. He wants those big hundreds, but the next time, he wants to be on the winning side.
"Hundred is just a milestone, but you have to look at it from the team's perspective as well. I want to get big hundreds for the team," Rohit said.
Rohit was praised by all and sundry after his talsimanic effort with the bat after the first ODI against Australia in Perth. Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly said that Rohit is just the kind of player India needs at the top of the order in the 50-over format as he is a class act.
MS Dhoni also heaped praises on the Mumbai Indians captain by saying that Rohit has the knack of playing those long innings in the limited over format.
Rohit is just happy as he is doing well for his team and wants to continue with this form with his willow and that will take a lot of pressure off MS Dhoni as well.
"We always talk about this in our team meeting that one batsman needs to carry on and bat as long and deep as possible. One set batsman batting till the end makes a huge difference. I feel I have been doing that of late. I have been getting past 100 and then trying my best to get bigger scores after the century," Rohit added.
