Sunil Gavaskar and Rohit Sharma
NEW DELHI: Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has urged Indian skipper Rohit Sharma to build longer innings instead of being content with quick starts, emphasising that his prolonged presence at the crease could be a game-changer for India. Gavaskar believes that while Rohit’s aggressive approach in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) has given the team quick starts, it has also led to early dismissals, limiting his overall impact.
In the ongoing Champions Trophy, Rohit’s highest score so far has been 41 against Bangladesh in the opening game. He has managed scores of 20, 15 and 28 against Pakistan, New Zealand and Australia respectively.
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“If he (Rohit Sharma) bats for even 25 overs, India will be around 180-200. Imagine if they have lost only a couple of wickets by then; just think what they could do. They could reach 350 or more,” Gavaskar told India Today.
Gavaskar stressed that Rohit himself needs to reconsider his approach, as balancing aggression with discretion could make his performances even more impactful. “He also needs to give it some thought. It’s one thing to go out and play aggressively, but there has to be a bit of discretion somewhere to give himself the chance to bat for 25-30 overs. If he does that, he takes the game away from the opposition. That kind of impact is match-winning.”
The former Indian captain also questioned whether Rohit should be satisfied with brief but flashy contributions. “And I think, as a batter, are you happy with scoring 25-30 runs? You shouldn’t be! So that is what I would say to him: your impact on the team will be even greater if you bat for 25 overs instead of just seven, eight, or nine overs.”
Gavaskar further pointed out that Rohit has been following this aggressive approach for the past two years, a strategy that began around the 2023 World Cup. While it has yielded some success, Gavaskar feels it does not fully justify the talent that Rohit possesses.
