Sunil Gavaskar gives belt treatment to Star Sports once again; this time for Rohit Sharma
Published - 25 Jun 2024, 11:56 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:14 AM
Former Indian cricket team captain Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at critics of Rohit Sharma following Team India's victory over Australia in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Sunil Gavaskar also slammed the broadcaster for highlighting Rohit Sharma's weakness against left-arm pacers in the T20I format.
Rohit Sharma struggled against left-arm pacers in the T20 World Cup 2024. The right-handed batter was dismissed by Shaheen Afridi, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Saurabh Netravalkar in the tournament. However, the Indian skipper dominated Australian pacer Mitchell Starc in India's last Super 8 match in the event.
The 37-year-old batter smashed four sixes and a boundary off Mitchell Starc in a single over. The veteran opener fell short of a well-deserved century as he was dismissed for 92 runs off just 41 balls, including seven fours and eight sixes. The Indian team posted a total of 205/5 in 20 overs at St Lucia on Monday.
Rohit Sharma Got Out To A Left-Hander - Sunil Gavaskar
Speaking on Star Sports after the match, Sunil Gavaskar stated that batsmen face challenges when playing attacking shots against swinging deliveries. Gavaskar emphasized that such scrutiny should not overshadow Rohit's overall batting prowess and match-winning contributions.
"Just thinking about Rohit Sharma once again, he got out to a left-hander. So before the next match, are we going to do another segment about his weakness to left-handers? He got to a left-hander no? So another segment next time," said Gavaskar.
"That's the thing, with the new ball they are going to get the ball is going to swing. And if you are looking to play attacking shots where you know your bat is a little in front of the pad, you are going to be out LBW, you are going to be out bowled. So I don't think you should look too much at that," he added.
Poses A Challenge To An Opening Batter - Aaron Finch
Australia captain Aaron Finch defended the broadcaster's analysis of Rohit Sharma's challenges against left-arm seamers. Finch mentioned that left-arm swing bowlers like Trent Boult, Mitchell Starc, and Shaheen Shah Afridi posed challenges to Rohit in international cricket.
"There are more left-armers playing now, and they're genuine swing bowlers. A lot of them as well, particularly up front. You look at Trent Bolt, Mitchell Starc, Shaheen Shah Afridi, your left-arm swing bowler. So that poses a challenge to an opening batter," Finch said on Star Sports.
The Rohit Sharma-led team restricted the Australian team to 181 runs in 20 overs. Rohit was named "Player of the Match" for his match-winning half-century. The Men in Blue secured their sixth consecutive win in the ongoing World Cup. India finished at the top of Super Eight Group 1 in the ICC tournament.
The inaugural T20 World Cup champions will lock horns with England in the second semifinal match at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Thursday, June 27. The Men in Blue will be hoping to take revenge against the Jos Buttler-led team for their 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal loss in Adelaide.
