Rohit Sharma began the year 2016 on a thrilling note. And that wasn't just because of the runs he got Down Under last month. After tying the knot with Ritika Sajdeh early this year, the Mumbai batsman has already embarked on a new journey, one that puts added responsibility on his shoulders. In an exclusive interview, Rohit talks about learning from past mistakes, understanding his own abilities better, and moving towards a better future. Excerpts You're taking the art of pacing an innings in the shorter formats to another level... It's not coming to me naturally but I'd like to put it as natural progression. It's coming, I guess, after playing the amount of cricket I've played now. I'm learning from my past mistakes and trying to correct them as I move forward. Experience at the international level has probably taught me what it takes to go out there and get a hundred or to build an innings or to win a game. I keep thinking about strategies, analysing situations, and working it out inside my mind, see what is best for the team at that point. After playing 140-plus ODIs, I'm more confident about handling situations because there is some experience now to fall back on. There have been times when I've played shots without thinking about the repercussions or situations. I remember, in 2012, when I was struggling with the bat. When I look back today, I wonder why it happened. It was because I wasn't thinking about my role in the team as much as my role to go out there and score the runs. I guess, there's more clarity now. 2012 was a learning curve... Yes, that was a tough year. It taught me many things. How has the core unit of this Indian team progressed in the last one year? Until the last year or the year before, we had these tours of Australia, South Africa, England which tested our skills and brought us to a point of realisation. These were very tough tours. Now, if you keep aside what happened result-wise, there was a lot that our batting unit got to learn. There were challenges in front of us, bordering on the extreme - conditions, opponents, attacks. We were a group of youngsters looking to learn, and in that context, we were looking to take all that in our stride and move forward. The one thing I remember clearly is how all of us wanted to learn from those experiences. They made us stronger. Past experiences seem to have made a huge difference... Not all batsmen in a team can do well all times. In our case, someone did well in Australia, someone did well in England but everyone had something to take home, even if we were bruised by the defeats. In hindsight, we all see it as a great learning curve. Those experiences helped us gain confidence moving forward. They taught us to believe in our abilities. Next time, we will be in a better position to counter those challenges. How have things been behind the scenes? The team has been playing constant cricket and the support staff may have had a bigger role to play... The support staff and individuals like Ravi Shastri have made a lot of difference to this side. They've given us the space to go out there and express ourselves. A lot of credit goes to Sanjay Bangar, as well. He's been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, spending lot of time with batsmen, creating a positive environment. We always enjoy our practice and training sessions, get to learn from each other, understand strengths and weaknesses. That's the kind of atmosphere that's been created. The age group in the team is around the same, so all of us can relate with each other. So we're all growing up to understand each other better. Everybody doesn't have a good day every time he walks out to the middle. There are bad days, too - days when things don't go your way. We are comfortable in putting an arm around each other during such times. Freedom of expression has prevailed well... Yes, we have a lot freedom to express ourselves. When you see us playing on the field, I guess you can make that out. This batting unit, especially, is fearless. We want to go out there and achieve the best possible result. Sometimes, things work and sometimes, they don't. Maybe to an outsider, it comes across as a sign of arrogance. But that's not the case. People need to understand that it's not overconfidence. It's just confidence in each other that we're taking into every game. That's the kind of message me or even my teammates would like to share. This is how we feel inside the dressing room and I wish an outsider gets the correct picture. What does Sanjay Bangar bring to the Indian dressing room? Sanjay has been a silent performer, someone who has been very reserved, isn't flashy or likes to keep showing what he's been up to. He deserves a lot of credit for what he's done. He's been with the team for two years now. A lot of credit has to go to Sanjay for how we've developed as a batting unit in the last two years. He's always helped me with positive thoughts. I've never seen him talking about anything negative. That's the kind of person I want to be with. Sanjay deserves credit for the way our batting unit has performed lately . What kind of criticism or guilt did you have to cope with after that dismissal in the Delhi Test? When I got out to that shot on the second ball, nobody was bothered about my dismissal except for the media, I guess. Now, obviously my teammates and coaches wouldn't have been happy because I didn't get the runs, and that's what my job essentially is - to go out there and score. But they were happy with my attitude. That works both ways. While I get the freedom to bat that way, it also comes with the added responsibility of knowing at all times what the team wants me to do. The trick is about creating a balance. And that balance cannot come overnight. The only thing that disappointed me about that dismissal was the very fact that I got out. But I wasn't disappointed at all with the way I got out. Because that is my shot. I keep saying I will keep playing my shots and if I get out playing my shot then that is not a big worry for me. People are happy when you score runs. It's only when you get out that there's a problem. I can't be playing for people as much as I should be playing to the requirement of my team. The position in which I bat, in Test cricket, is a very tricky one. At No. 6. From there, matches can shift either way. I was trying to make sure the momentum shifts on our side, but it didn't happen and I got out. Over the years, you've shown a natural flair to lead... I'm in the ninth year of my international cricket now. So, it's been a long time.The first three-four years, you are only focused on your game and you are still learning about things that are happening around you. You don't start looking at the bigger picture. But as you keep your mind working on it, you want to contribute more. Then you start thinking about the game from a team perspective. It's about team effort. Mumbai Indians captaincy has helped me to become a better batsman also. It has allowed me to think about the team and how can I contribute more than just with the bat. Even now, when MS Dhoni's leading, the others keep their minds working. So do I. Is a fielder required here, or if someone is making a mistake, how we can rectify that. Those who know you well say you're a good listener... Yes, I am. I love to listen to people. I don't know if patience is a virtue, but listening to people and trying to gain a perspective is something I like doing. You listen to everyone and then it's up to you if you want to take it or not. I see it as a good quality in a team-building exercise. There's plenty of Twenty20 cricket for you to look forward to... Yes, and I am looking forward to that. One of the things I'm looking to achieve is to finish the job for the team - to be out there for as long as possible, increase my contribution in the team's success rate. Walking at the top of the order is the best thing. I get to play the most number of deliveries, so that's the perfect opportunity to build an innings. I get to play more deliveries than even Shikhar [Dhawan], who's at the non-striker's end. I face the first ball. You like facing the first ball, right? I really love to face that first ball of an innings. Ask the opposition questions - 'What do you have for me?' It pumps me up - the whole idea of the bowler marking his run-up, popping at the crease, the crowd chanting, nerves building up. It's a very good feeling. Right from the first ball, I know I have to be at the top of my game. You don't know what's coming at you. You're facing [Dale] Steyn, you know you're going to be dealing with serious pace. You're facing [Morne] Morkel, you know you're going to have to deal with the short stuff. I love analysing whether I'm going to be in a position to play my favourite shot, pull or hook, or just lay low for a while before I can begin to do that. It's a mindgame and I love it. What kind of a turnaround did the victory in Sri Lanka bring about? It was a great turning point. First of all, it was the first series we won after all the batting greats of the Indian team had retired. Secondly, India finally won a series in Sri Lanka after what, 22 years? And that too, after losing the first Test match. That showed a lot of character, to comeback the way we did after that defeat in Galle and win the next two Tests. That defeat in Galle was a huge setback. It made us sit back and think about our game. 'This is not how we want to go about things,' we were telling ourselves. It wasn't easy to digest that loss. The way we got out of that misery and bounced back to winning ways was certainly a remarkable turnaround. You seem to be consciously trying to shed the tag of being 'naturally gifted' and emphasising that it's all about hard work... When people keep talking all the time about 'Oh he's naturally gifted, he's naturally talented, he doesn't need to do anything, just come out and play his shots', something just doesn't sound right. That's not the case. They don't know what I do outside the field, the effort I put in. But you can't blame people when they see you hitting those sixes and how effortless you make it look Yeah, I know. That's what they keep saying. But a lot of work goes into it. It's a result of experience and a lot of effort that's been put in to improve as a batsman. In any sport, nothing comes easy. No matter how talented you are or naturally gifted you are, there's no substitute to hard work if you got to maintain standards. You're a married man now. Does that make you feel any different? What's different? Well, I think I'm more organised now. Until recently, when I was still a bachelor, you would come to my house and my room would be all messed up. Now, that's changed.