Amid uncertainty over Rohit Sharma‘s availability for the Perth opener, Gavaskar felt that Agarkar should declare Jasprit Bumrah as captain for the entire tour. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar feels BCCI’s selection committee chief Ajit Agarkar should remove Rohit Sharma from the captaincy role amid reports over his unavailability for the opening Test match against Australia in Perth on November 22 and rather announced his deputy, Jasprit Bumrah, as the leader for the tour.
Speaking on JioCinema on Sunday, veteran India cricketer Abhinav Mukund confirmed that Rohit Sharma is expecting his second child with wife Ritika Sajdeh, and hence is likely to miss the Border-Gavaskar series opener in Perth, with no confirmation yet on his availability for the second match in Adelaide.
Rohit Sharma’s casual approach during NZ test series irks Sunil Gavaskar
When the Test series against New Zealand started, India could do no wrong. They topped the WTC standings and were all but assured a place in the summit clash. Not to mention 18 consecutive home Test series wins and also no home Test series loss since 2012. It was a good time to be an Indian fan.
Fast forward to three weeks later, the side had sunk to new depths, the fans were left in shock and the Australian tour appeared intimidating. Also, a place in the WTC Final looks very difficult now. The reason A series defeat at the hands of New Zealand. Not just that, a whitewash at home after 24 years! The Kiwis won 3-0.
When India toured Australia the last time, in 2020/21, Kohli, the then India skipper, too had left the series following the opener in Adelaide for the birth of his first child and did not return, leaving the entire leadership responsibility on his deputy Ajinkya Rahane.
Come to the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy , this time Rohit Sharma is expected to take the paternity leave atleast for the 1st test starting on 22nd of November 2024. Rohit Sharma, too, did not confirm his stance entirely when asked by the media in Mumbai as he said:
“Right now, I am not too sure whether I’ll be going, but let’s see. Fingers crossed.”
One man who is not mincing his words is Sunil Gavaskar. The legend has slammed Rohit Sharma and his men for their ‘attacking mindset’ which he sees to be the cause as to why they lost. His theory is that the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane cannot find a place in a team like this because the approach is not right. For Gavaskar, the over-reliance of aggressive strategies have caused the downfall. He even slammed England’s ‘Bazball’ tactics which failed in India and Pakistan.
Sunil Gavaskar on reports of Rohit Sharma missing 1st BGT 2024-25 Test
Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar has weighed in on the uncertainty surrounding captain Rohit Sharma’s availability for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He suggested that the selectors should name a new captain for the entire series.
Reports indicate that the 37-year-old will miss the first match due to personal reasons. Gavaskar said that if Rohit is unavailable for two-thirds of the games, he should join the team later only as a player.
In a discussion with Sports Tak, Gavaskar said:
“It is important for the captain to play the first Test. If he gets injured then it is a different matter. In such a situation, if your leader is not available in the first match, then appointing a deputy leader, the pressure that builds on him is a different kind of pressure. It will not be easy for him to take the responsibility of captaincy again.”
He added:
“We have been reading that Rohit Sharma will not play in the first Test, perhaps he will not play in the second as well.”
“If this is the case then I say that right now the Indian selection committee should say that you have to rest, rest, if there are personal reasons then look at them. But if you are missing two-thirds of the matches then you should go for this tour only as a player. We will make the vice-captain the captain of this tour.
“Because there should be clarity. It is the responsibility of the captain because when we lost 3-0 here, it is important to have a captain. Absolutely necessary,” he continued.
The 75-year-old emphasized the importance of having a captain to bring the players together following the humiliating whitewash against New Zealand, saying:
“Indian cricket is the most important. I would say that if we had won the New Zealand series 3-0, it would have been a different matter. Because we have lost this series 3-0, there is a need for a captain. The captain has to unite the team. If there is no captain in the beginning, it is better to make someone else the captain” Gavaskar added.
The Rohit Sharma-led side suffered a 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand earlier this month. It was India’s first-ever whitewash in a home Test series with at least three matches.
These harsh words of wisdom actually make sense. Many of the wickets we lost were due to untimely aggression and poor shot selection. Yes, an aggressive approach does work at times but when calm and toning down is needed, you need players who can hold the fort and dig in if the situation demands it.
The key in Test cricket is to tire out the opposition. If the only solution is to go after the bowling and get out in the process, then you are not doing yourself any favours. Gavaskar knows what he is talking about. When needed he could attack as a batter but he also knew when to occupy the crease.
“Fingers crossed” – Rohit Sharma regarding his availability for 1st Test of the BGT 2024-25
During the press conference on November 3, following the series against New Zealand, Rohit Sharma indicated that he might miss the first match of the BGT 2024-25. He said:
“Right now, I am not too sure whether I’ll be going, but let’s see. Fingers crossed.”
Rohit Sharma had a rough outing in the three-match series against the Kiwis, managing only 91 runs over six innings. This attitude will not serve India well Down Under and Gavaskar is simply pointing that out. He may be old school but the basics of the game have not changed. The man has over 10,000 Test runs, so he certainly knows a thing or two about hanging in there.
If India want to redeem themselves in Australia, they will need to exercise caution when needed. Not once is Gavaskar saying not to attack the bowling, but choose wisely when to do so. The whole point is to not give the opponents an inch and allow them to take control.
The Test series starts on November 22 and will end on January 7. India have beaten Australia in the last four Test series played, two of which were Down Under. Australia last won when they triumphed 2-0 in 2014-15.