During the just-finished ODI series against Australia, the former India captain was quite scathing of Rohit Sharma.
Sunil Gavaskar, an Indian cricket icon, was not pleased that Rohit Sharma missed the first ODI match against Australia owing to “family responsibilities,” claiming that such excuses have no place in the year of the ODI World Cup. Hardik Pandya captained the team in Rohit’s absence, and with a strong knock from KL Rahul, the home side won. The series was still not won, however, as the visitors won the final two games despite Rohit’s return to the squad. According to Gavaskar, the squad requires “continuity in leadership,” hence he is not pleased with Rohit’s choice.
I think it’s important for him to be in every game. No team can succeed with a captain who just shows up for some games. It’s crucial in every way. Any other participant is just as at risk. From what I understand, he had to make the trip due to a prior obligation with his family. I can see why it might be the case,” Gavaskar said to Star Sports.
It’s as easy as this: if you want to play in the World Cup, you can’t have a family obligation. Unless it’s an emergency, you should probably finish what you’re working on before then. An emergency, though, is an entirely different story.
You must provide a steady flow of leadership. If everyone is on your side, you feel invincible; if they aren’t, it’s because there are two leaders. After that, there are two captains the squad is considering,” Gavaskar said.
India lost their first home ODI series since 2019 on Wednesday as Australian spinners Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar turned the match into a nail-biter in Chennai.
Left-arm spinner Agar struck early in the 36th over, dismissing the in-form Virat Kohli (54) and the world’s best Twenty20 batsman, Suryakumar Yadav, for his third consecutive golden duck, leaving the hosts reeling at 185-6 with a goal of 270 to win.
When the visitors bowled out the home team for 248 in the final over, it was enough to win by 21 runs.
