India may have recorded a thrilling win over Pakistan to start off their T20 World Cup campaign but Sunil Gavaskar feels that there is still a major area of concern that needs to be addressed.
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar minced no words while calling out India captain and veteran Indian opener Rohit Sharma after Team India edged past arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening match of the 2022 T20 World Cup. Renewing their blockbuster rivalry, Rohit-led Team India squared off against Babar Azam’s Pakistan in their tournament opener at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.
Though Rohit entered his name in the history books by surpassing MS Dhoni and becoming the most capped Indian player in T20 World Cups, the 35-year-old had a forgettable outing with the willow against Pakistan at the MCG. Rohit showcased a rare batting failure as the senior batter perished for 4 off 7 balls in the fourth over of the Indian innings.
Reflecting on Rohit’s below-par performance against Pakistan, Gavaskar pointed out that Rohit has struggled for form in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup. “The only concern really has been that Rohit Sharma of late has not quite scored with the same capability we know him to. I think if he gets going it really makes people’s life really easy for people to follow,” Gavaskar told India Today.
Former India skipper Gavaskar expects Rohit to provide India with a solid foundation in their next fixture of the Super 12 stage at the T20 World Cup. Rohit-led Team India will meet the Netherlands in their next fixture on Thursday. Indian openers Rohit and KL Rahul failed to fire for Virat Kohli-starrer Team India in their high-profile meeting with Pakistan at the MCG. Rohit and Rahul registered identical individual scores in the final-over thriller against the Green Army.
“A good platform is what everyone looks at. You give a good platform, a good start and it makes that much easier for somebody coming down at four or five to start hitting the ball from the first ball. They don’t have to give themselves time to settle in, they don’t have to give themselves time to steady the ship, like India had to do against Pakistan when they were four wickets down for 31. So, even if you get a slightly slower start, maybe get to about 40 after losing 1 wicket, that is a much better platform than 31/4,” Gavaskar added.
