Daijiworld Media Network - New Chandigarh
New Chandigarh, Oct 4: Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar expressed disappointment after Rohit Sharma fell eight runs short of a century during India's third and final ODI against the West Indies in New Chandigarh on October 3.
India batted first and posted 351 runs, with KL Rahul scoring a century and Rohit contributing 92 runs. The West Indies chased down the target to register a victory in the final ODI and avoid a clean sweep in the three-match series.
Speaking about Rohit's dismissal, Gavaskar said he was disappointed because the Indian opener could potentially retire from international cricket after the 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.
“The reason I was disappointed with Rohit getting out on 92 is because he didn't get a hundred, and he might possibly quit international cricket after the end of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027. And at that particular point of time, when he decides to call it a day, I personally would like Rohit to have more ODI hundreds than his age. Had he gotten a century in the third ODI, he would have moved closer to achieving that feat with his 36th hundred,” Gavaskar told JioHotstar.
Gavaskar also pointed to a change in Rohit's batting approach since the 2023 ODI World Cup, when he regularly adopted an aggressive approach from the beginning of an innings.
“A slight change has appeared in the batting template of Rohit that he himself set as the captain for the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he was going bang-bang from the first ball, irrespective of the possibility of getting out sooner. Now he recognises that his wicket is valuable,” he said.
“In that 2023 World Cup, he got the team off to great starts, but he's not a batsman who will score just 30-40 runs. He's a hundred-maker! And therefore, I'm happy to see him score big runs,” Gavaskar added.
Rohit's 92 was his 35th ODI half-century-plus score in the format, while he remains on 35 ODI centuries. Gavaskar's comments underline his desire to see Rohit add to his century tally before eventually calling time on his international career.