Half way through the Indian Premier League, Rohit Sharma speaks to Devendra Pandey: about his run-scoring spree, the experience of sharing the dressing room with foreign greats and his uncomplicated batting style. Excerpts:

How important was the IPL for you?
Very important. People are watching my performances closely and their expectations have doubled. I think this does not just apply to me but also to everyone else.

How confident were you of delivering in the background of the big price tag?
There is nothing special in my approach here, I’m batting as I would normally. With the success in Australia, I was high on confidence and I brought that into the IPL. I was always confident of doing well in Twenty20. If you look at the past, I’ve always done well in this format, be it the World Cup or Ranji Twenty20 matches. I even had a T20 100, and that’s why I was confident of doing well.

Your consistency has been a standout feature of your performance in the IPL...
I usually get out playing a bad shot. The three formats of the game — Ranji Trophy, one-dayers and Twenty20 — are totally different ball games. You can’t compare a four-day Ranji Trophy game with Twenty20 and I know people had questioned my consistency after I failed to score in the Ranji games.

Unlike some, you haven’t resorted to cross-batted shots. Is there a particular reason for that?
I’ve never felt that to succeed one needs to play cross-bat shots. One can still score runs with cricketing strokes. It’s the case not just with me; other players like Sangakkara have also done well while playing with a straight bat. Andrew Symonds scored a century playing proper cricketing strokes. I know I’ve got the potential and I stick to the basics. There are many players like Ganguly, Sachin and Rahul who all play technically correct cricket and are doing well.

... contd.