Playing aerial shots is not crime: Rohit

Mumbai: Playing flamboyant shots is not a "crime" if they translate into results, reckons batting maestro Rohit Sharma, who says youngsters should have the freedom to express themselves freely.

Rohit started his international career as a middle-order before becoming one of the best openers in the limited overs game.

The 32-year-old had a memorable 2019 when he scored 10 hundreds across formats, including five in the World Cup.

Rohit shared his experiences of his early days as a cricketer during an interaction with the young trainees at his own cricket academy, here on Thursday.

"There is nothing harm in playing big shots, trying to play a flamboyant cover drive. When we were growing up and used to play shots in the air, we were taken out of the nets, which was not right because eventually you want the results," said Rohit.

"If the guy is giving you results by playing the big shots, there is nothing wrong in that. As a young kid, growing in this generation, you want to play shots. You want to look good (while batting) but again it is very important what they think of their game and what understanding they have about the game," he added.

"What we need to be careful of is, if the player is doing mistakes again and again, then he needs to be told how he should go about it next time. I mean playing shots is not a crime."

Rohit emphasised that backing the young players is important to make them confident about their game.