Sunil Gavaskar launches a scathing attack on Gautam Gambhir's philosophy; interrogates Rohit Sharma
Published - 07 Mar 2025, 11:38 AM | Updated - 07 Mar 2025, 11:36 PM
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Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has shared his thoughts on Rohit Sharma’s attacking batting approach, suggesting that the Indian captain should focus on staying at the crease longer rather than just providing a quick start to the Men in Blue.
His suggestion came after the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, defended Rohit’s attacking mindset following their thrilling four-wicket win over Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal. Rohit’s aggressive style yet again became the talking point after his quick knock of 28 runs off 29 balls laced with three boundaries and one maximum against Australia.
Sunil Gavaskar urges Rohit Sharma to balance attack with stability in batting
After the match, Gambhir defended Rohit Sharma’s attacking approach at the top order and stressed that the Indian skipper must be judged on his impact, not his numbers. However, the legendary batter Gavaskar had a different perspective, saying if Rohit bats deep into the innings, he can completely take the game away from the opposition.
However, the former Indian captain admitted that this attacking approach has brought success for India, but he feels Rohit’s immense talent could be utilized even better. He noted that if the star batter plays 25-30 overs, India could pile up a massive total on the board.
Sunil Gavaskar urges Rohit Sharma to utilize his talent ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Final
Sunil Gavaskar was quoted as saying by India Today, “This is an approach he has been following for the last two years or so. It started around the World Cup in India, and he has been sticking to that formula. He has had some success, though perhaps not as much as his talent should warrant. He is an incredibly talented player with a range of shots that not many others in the game possess.”
The legendary cricketer further added, “Therefore, from an aesthetic perspective, from a crowd-pleasing perspective, I am not speaking from the team's point of view. He 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.”
Sunil Gavaskar suggests Rohit Sharma 'don’t settle for 25-30 runs, but stay and dominate the game'
The cricket expert believes that Rohit should aim for bigger scores rather than settling for quick 25-30 runs. Gavaskar feels an aggressive approach is good, but the hitman should also focus on staying longer at the crease. The Little Master has explained that if Rohit bats for 25-30 overs, he can put India in a dominant position and make it harder for the opposition to fight back.
Gavaskar signed off by saying, “That kind of impact is match-winning. 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.”
Notably, the right-handed batter has so far scored 41 runs off 36 balls against Bangladesh, 20 runs off 15 balls against Pakistan, 15 runs off 17 balls against New Zealand, and 28 runs off 29 balls against Australia in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai.
