Sunil Gavaskar's Apt Reply As Rohit Sharma Gets Labelled "Casual" Over New Zealand Show
The nature of Rohit Sharma's dismissals in the Test series against New Zealand made some suggest that his approach had become 'casual'.
India captain Rohit Sharma endured one of his worst outings in his Test career as New Zealand secured a heroic 3-0 series win. Rohit's form with the bat was one of the biggest reasons behind Team India's underwhelming show against the Kiwis and the skipper admitted the same himself after the match. On tricky pitches, Rohit opted for an attacking approach but it didn't pay of on any of the 6 innings he batted in. The manner of Rohit's dismissals even made many suggest that his approach was 'casual' in the middle. However, Indian cricket team legend Sunil Gavaskar stands firm against such a label.
In an interview with the Indian Express, Gavaskar said that Rohit's approach looks casual as his style is easy on the eye. He cited the example of the great David Gower, who also had to face such misinterpretations.
"I think, with somebody who has got time to play the shots like he has and the elegance he has, people generally tend to misinterpret that (as casual). It used to happen with David Gower all the time. Lovely, easy-on-the-eye batsman. So, every time he got out, they would say, 'oh, he doesn't bother'. They all care about their wicket. They all want to score as many runs as possible. It's just that their batting looks so simple and their dismissals also therefore look that way. But it's just a natural way for them. Can't point fingers," Gavaskar said.
Rohit was also asked about his shot selections in the series. While the Hitman did admit that he wasn't up to the mark, he said that there were 'no regrets' over the manner in which he lost his wickets.
"Shot selection in this particular match wasn't up to the mark, starting from me. The only thing I would say is that when you're chasing a target like that, you want to try and put the pressure on the bowlers. You can't allow bowlers to bowl on one particular spot. You have to try and do something about it.
"But, yeah, I will say I played a bad shot. But I don't regret it, honestly speaking, because that has given me a lot of success in the past. So I will continue to do that," said Rohit.
India Cricket Team
New Zealand Cricket Team
Rohit Sharma
Sunil Gavaskar