Former India legend Sunil Gavaskar suggested that skipper Rohit Sharma to dig deep and play longer innings rather than settling for quick 30-40 run knocks. Discussions around Rohit Sharma’s intent while batting are nothing new. Some believe that this is how the Indian captain plays, giving the team a morale boost with his fiery starts, while others argue that his aggressive approach is more of a gamble, carrying a high risk of failure.
Sharma, known for his fearless batting, often takes risks in the first 10 overs of ODIs. This approach has certainly yielded results for India in the past, be it in the 50-over World Cup, the last T20 World Cup, or now in the ongoing Champions Trophy. While he may not be thriving consistently in the ongoing tournament, he has still displayed some classy strokes. However, Gavaskar believes that the Indian skipper should focus on batting for longer periods.
Interestingly, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir recently jumped in, countering Gavaskar’s remarks. He expressed full support for Sharma, stating that the team does not solely rely on player statistics to assess performances. Instead, they prioritise the impact a player makes on the game.
Sunil Gavaskar on Rohit Sharma
“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.”
“Therefore, from an aesthetic point of view, from a crowd-pleasing perspective, I am not speaking from the team’s point of view—if 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,”.
“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. 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 was quoted as saying by India Today.
Rohit Sharma in recent ICC tournaments
| Tournament | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s |
| 2023 ODI World Cup | 11 | 11 | 597 | 54.27 | 125.94 | 1 | 3 |
| 2024 T20 World Cup | 8 | 8 | 257 | 36.71 | 156.70 | 0 | 3 |
| 2019 ODI World Cup | 9 | 9 | 648 | 81.00 | 98.33 | 5 | 1 |
Clearly, if we look at two major marquee events, 50-over World Cup in 2019 and 2023, Rohit Sharma showcased his class on both occasions. However, while his batting average saw a dip, his strike rate surged, indicating a shift in his approach. From Sharma’s perspective, it appears to be more about capitalising on the powerplay rather than building big innings.
So far, this strategy has mostly worked in his favour, but there have been instances where it backfired. Surely a prime example was the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia.
