Rohit Sharma deliberately underperformed under Shubman Gill in Perth? India legend makes shocking claim
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Former cricketers have come out in support of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after their failure coming into the first ODI under Australian conditions. Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has, on the other hand, nullified misconceptions that have stayed in Indian cricket over the years.
Just one loss for India in the series, and there have already been speculations of the veteran cricketers underperforming deliberately to make Shubman Gill lose matches out of desperation for the captaincy spot, of which they have been snubbed.
These talks surfaced earlier after Rohit Sharma's removal from ODI captaincy despite him boasting a stupendous record of 42 wins in 56 ODIs and unbeaten streaks in ICC tournaments like the 2023 World Cup and the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
Sunil Gavaskar clears the air amid controversial claims of Rohit Sharma's 'deliberate underperformance'
Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar, while writing his column for Sportstar, mentioned the common misconception among Indians that a player could underperform below his best only to avenge his snub from captaincy. However, the basics don't hit anyone's head that once they are no longer the captain, they could be dropped if they fail to perform well.
"A significant misconception among Indian cricket fans is that if a player is replaced as captain, he will attempt to undermine the new captain by not performing to the best of his ability. Nothing can be further from the truth, for the simple fact is that if a captain has been replaced and then doesn’t perform, he could be out of the team altogether. So, no player, however aggrieved he may feel at losing the captaincy, is ever going to underperform deliberately."
"With that misconception still going strong, many are questioning if young Shubman Gill will be able to handle two former captains, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are part of the three-match One-Day International series against Australia. Gill has gone out of his way to say that his equation with them hasn’t changed simply because he is the captain now," he continued.
"He will only benefit by having these two stalwarts by his side," noted Sunil Gavaskar
Though the first game of Shubman Gill's career as ODI skipper didn't mark an absolutely stunning start for him, despite the presence of Indian stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, they are expected to bounce back stronger.
He believes that Gill, under the shadow of the two veterans, will largely benefit, as he can gather immense experience from the two former skippers, who have played several times under Aussie conditions.
"If anything, he will only benefit by having these two stalwarts by his side. Both would be happy to offer suggestions if asked, and what could be better for a captain leading in this format for the first time than to have two of the greatest ODI players playing in his team?" said Gavaskar.
The RO-KO Legacy is unmatched for India
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are not only two big names in Indian cricket but are also the two modern-day greats of ODI cricket for this decade. They have built a legacy that remains unmatched and untouched by any other player in the world.
The two players have combined to represent India in over 577 ODIs (many matches counted twice as both featured in the XI) and have scored 25000 runs between them. They have even posed challenges in front of each other at times, like Rohit Sharma's terrific record of three ODI double-hundreds and the most hundreds for India in a single World Cup edition, and Virat Kohli's record of 50+ ODI centuries.
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India National Cricket Team Rohit Sharma Sunil Gavaskar Virat Kohli Shubman Gill India tour of Australia India vs Australia
