espnstar.com's Rajarshi Gupta caught up with Indian batsman Rohit Sharma for an exclusive chat.

"Look, Dravid is a great player and everyone knows that. His records speak for themselves but I am not bothered with his inclusion because I know I have to do my job well."

Sharma has been under the scanner after coming apart against short pitched deliveries in England and the West Indies.

However, the classy middle order batsman from Mumbai lashes back at his critics: "Those who are questioning my ability to play short pitched deliveries obviously don't know what they are talking about.

It's just that I have fallen a few times to the pull shot and people are making a big deal out of it.

If you remember my two innings in the warm-up games of the ICC World Twenty20 (against New Zealand and Pakistan), I played the pull shot consistently and it came along well. So, I don't really have any problems against the shorter deliveries."

But doesn't it bother him to deal with such complexities so early in his career?

"Look, I am used to it and I know how people in India are. There is no point paying much attention to such comments"

While Sharma may well be right in his assessment of his own game, the fact is that the talented youngster has been a disappointment, more so after his brilliant show in the Indian Premier League in South Africa.

The right-handed batsman, however, is confident that he would be able to redeem some lost glory as the team gears up for another Safari for the Champions Trophy.

Sharma's poise and calm are not easy to miss when he is at the crease and though there have been several comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar, the 22-yeard old refuses to be drawn into it.

"Sachin is a class apart"

"Sachin is in a different class altogether and I don't think it is even fair to be compared to him."

With a long break from international commitments, Sharma is very clear with what he wants to do.

"I don't have to sit and work on any weaknesses because I don't have any. In fact, I plan to spend this time with my family and friends and just unwind."

Relaxed and confident, Sharma represents young India. He may be on the back foot now but he knows he is all but one innings away from reigniting the magic that swept the cricketing fraternity since the last IPL.