"He doesn't have to score 40-45 runs" - Sunil Gavaskar slams Rohit Sharma's aggression in powerplay

India's captain Rohit Sharma has been playing just one way in ODI cricket over the last few years. Rohit has transformed his batting style from a batter who played a long innings to the one who looks to attack and score quick runs upfront.

However, such a risky style of batting has led to his downfall as well. As a result, former India opener Sunil Gavaskar is not impressed with Rohit Sharma's aggressive intent during the powerplay.

Gavaskar feels that India needs more runs from Rohit and he should look to bat beyond the first powerplay as well instead of trying to attack on every delivery. India will face Australia in the semi-final next and Gavaskar believes that Rohit needs to bat big.

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Sunil Gavaskar slams Rohit Sharma's aggression

While speaking to Aaj Tak, Sunil Gavaskar shed light on Rohit Sharma's batting form and its impact in the match. Gavaskar reminded Rohit that he is an opening batter and he job is not just to play the first 10 overs but beyond that as well.

The legendary India batter feels that India will get a big score if Rohit scores big and thus, he must concentrate on scoring big rather than trying to score risky runs in the initial overs.

"He (Rohit Sharma) just has to play his game. He also has to keep in mind that he is an opening batsman. The opening batsman does not have to play only 10 overs. He does not have to score 40-45 runs in 10 overs. The more overs he plays, the more runs Team India will score," Gavaskar said.

Rohit Sharma has been playing with an aggressive batting style over the last few years in ODIs. He received tremendous success with this method in the ODI World Cup 2023 where he played a key role in India's path to the final.

Rohit emerged as the second-highest run-getter of the tournament behind Virat Kohli, scoring 597 runs in 11 matches at an average of 54.27 and an impressive strike rate of 125.94.

However, such batting style also led to his downfall in the final against Australia when he tried to attack Glenn Maxwell but holed to Travis Head for a magnificent catch. Rohit gave India a flyer with a 31-ball-47 but his wicket proved to be the turning point in the game.

Rohit Sharma in CT 2025

Rohit Sharma is not having a great tournament and has scored just 76 runs in three matches at an average of 25.33. However, his strike rate of 111.76 suggests that he is still looking to attack during the field restrictions.

He got out to Kyle Jamieson in the last group stage match against New Zealand as he tried to attack a ball outside off stump with a pull over midwicket. He is likely to bat this way in the semi-final where he will be expected to make a significant impact for his team.

India defeat New Zealand to set up Australia showdown

In the last match of the group stage, India defeated New Zealand by 44 runs to top Group A. They will face Australia in the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy in Dubai. It is expected to be an enthralling contest between the two teams who have dominated ODI cricket over the last decade.

Australia are the current World Cup holders, having defeated India in the final in 2023. The upcoming semi-final will be a repeat of the ODI World Cup 2023 final. India will be aiming to turn the tables this time and will also enter the match as favorites.

The second semi-final will be played in Lahore between South Africa and New Zealand on March 5. South Africa topped Group B with 2 wins while New Zealand finished as the second-best team from Group A.