Mumbai, Mar 8: Legendary Sunil Gavaskar believes Rohit Sharma should not be content with scoring just 25-30 runs and must focus on building longer innings, as his presence at the crease can have a game-changing impact for India.In ODI cricket, the Indian skipper has embraced an aggressive approach to give India quick starts, but this has often resulted in early dismissals.
His highest score in the ongoing Champions Trophy is 41 against Bangladesh in the opening game.
“(If) He (Rohit Sharma) 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,” Gavaskar said.
“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.”
Rohit has managed scores of 20, 15, and 28 against Pakistan, New Zealand, and Australia respectively in the tournament.
“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 said.
India and New Zealand will face off again in the Champions Trophy final on Sunday, having played the final group A game in Dubai.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain has backed New Zealand to win, saying the Kiwis have some tough cricketers who won’t choke under pressure.
“They will not bottle it, they won’t choke. We were having dinner with [former Australia batter] Aaron Finch and he summed it up pretty well in saying New Zealand are never a side that beat themselves. And by that, he means that they will rock up, and they will put in a performance,” he told Sky Sports.
“All the way through the New Zealand lineup they have some very, very tough cricketers who turn up to every single game and give it their absolute best – that’s why they will always be there around semi-finals and finals.”