India batsman Rohit Sharma has revealed that being labelled a natural talent has made things difficult and added undue pressure on him as he is being constantly judged on the basis of that label and not his hard work.

The Mumbai batsman has been a revelation in ODI cricket, cracking two double centuries, but his returns in Test cricket have been more modest, but decent nonetheless. However Sharma feels the fans and media have unfairly high expectations of him.

“I don’t think that I am talented. This ‘talent’ talk has messed things up for me,” Sharma was quoted as saying by DNA newspaper.

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“All this natural talent, God’s gift and all that that you guys in the media talk and write about is unfair and wrong. I have worked on my batting. I used to bat at number eight. From there, I made my way up. Ask my coach, Mr Dinesh Lad, and he will tell you that I was an off-spinner. People must think before talking.

“Whatever I have achieved is because of my hard work. All these terms like ‘lazy elegance’ have been coined by you guys (media). Nothing comes naturally to anybody. Maybe on TV it comes across like that. But that’s not the right way to judge anyone.”

Sharma revealed that he became a proper batsman late in his career and had to work hard to get to where he is today.

“I became a serious batsman during my Under-17 days. I broke the middle finger of my right hand during a 50-over match against the visiting Sri Lankans in 2005. It was difficult for me to grip the ball after that injury. That’s how I became a regular batsman.

“Look, there is nothing easy in cricket. People say ‘Boss, this guy is gifted and he can do this and he can do that’. But nobody knows what happens behind the scenes. Nobody knows about the hard work that’s been put in,” he added.

Sharma admitted that while he has made progress in international cricket, a lot remains to be done, especially in Test cricket. The 28-year-old made his Test debut against the West Indies in 2013 and although he scored hundreds in his first two innings, he has not scored one in 23 innings since.

“Honestly, as a batsman, there is a lot more I have to do. Fourteen Test matches is nothing. I have nothing great in Test cricket. This is just the start,” Rohit said.

“In ODI cricket, yes, I know I have done well. The standards I set for myself are much, much higher than the standards anyone else can set for me. So, all I need is some space and breathing room to go out and achieve what I need to do for my country and myself.”