Sunil Gavaskar discusses Rohit Sharma’s batting position in the second ODI. In the second ODI, batting at number nine, India’s captain smashed 51 off 28 deliveries against Bangladesh.
In the first innings, Indian captain Rohit Sharma suffered an unexpected blow while fielding in the slips, ruling him out of the match. The opener also skipped batting for the majority of the game, but came in when India was on the verge of defeat.
With numerous stitches on his hand, the 35-year-old batted at number nine, providing India with an ideal foundation to launch a comeback. His 51* off 28 deliveries, however, was in futile as India lost the match by five runs. Nonetheless, several former cricketers, notably former India international Sunil Gavaskar, praised his courageous attempt. However, the 73-year-old feels Sharma should have been elevate up the order if he intend to bat in the finish.
“Everyone knows about the man’s quality and class. Given how close India got, why didn’t he come to bat earlier? He should have batted at no. 7 if he was going to bat at no. 9. That may have caused Axar Patel to play differently, in my opinion.
“When Axar saw that it was Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar. He probably thought that Rohit Sharma may not bat.” As a result, he took the shot. “There was no need to play that shot at that stage,” Gavaskar told Sony Sports after the second ODI.
“If Rohit had come at the other end, Axar batting the way he was. Who knows what the results would’ve been,” he added.
Also Visit: The BCCI released the schedule for India’s next home series against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Australia.
Sharma is likely to miss the first Test against Bangladesh.
Rohit Sharma is expected to miss the first Test against Bangladesh due to an injury sustained in the second ODI. Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran is expected to replace him in the team, while Umran Malik or Mukesh Kumar are expected to be called up to replace Mohammed Shami. Meanwhile, all-rounder Saurabh Kumar is expected to take over for Ravindra Jadeja, who was unable to recuperate in time for the Test series.
Also Read: Ramiz Raja expresses disappointment with the 2023 Asia Cup site dispute.