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‘When you’ve 2 ducks in previous game…’: Sunil Gavaskar's bombshell 'keep himself fit' statement for Rohit Sharma
Sunil Gavaskar has issued a bombshell statement on Indian skipper Rohit Sharma after MS Dhoni’s CSK defeated the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2023.
Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has issued an eye-catching statement after India captain Rohit Sharma capped off another forgetful outing with the bat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on Saturday. Recording a famous double over arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL 2023, MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) outclassed Rohit and Co. in the second Clasico of the cash-rich league at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Gaining the upper hand on Mumbai Indians by outsmarting Rohit early in the powerplay, CSK skipper Dhoni masterminded the dismissal of his MI counterpart in the third over. Rohit, who demoted himself to the No.3 batting position, was handed a three-ball duck by CSK pacer Deepak Chahar in match No.49 of the IPL 2023 at the Chepauk. Nicknamed the Hitman, the veteran Indian opener was mocked by legendary cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth after the MI skipper extended his dry run in the IPL.
Reflecting on Rohit's batting form in the ongoing edition of the cash-rich league, batting legend Gavaskar has urged the India captain to take a break in order to keep himself fit for the ICC World Test Championship. After the conclusion of the IPL season, Team India led by skipper Rohit will meet Pat Cummins' Australia in the final of the World Test Championship at The Oval on June 7.
'Rohit should maybe take a break'
"I would say that Rohit should maybe take a break for the time being, and keep himself fit for the World Test Championship Final. He can come back again for the last few matches, but right now, [he should] take a little bit of a breather himself," Gavaskar told Star Sports after CSK registered an impressive six-wicket win over record-time winners MI at the IPL 2023.
Gavaskar slams Rohit after unwanted record
MI skipper Rohit also ended up breaking an unwanted record in MI's match against CSK on Saturday. The MI skipper registered his 16th duck in the IPL - the most by any batter in the history of the T20 tournament. Rohit has surpassed Sunil Narine, Mandeep Singh and Dinesh Karthik on the unwanted list of players with record ducks in the IPL. Rohit was also called out by Gavaskar after the Hitman failed to fire for MI in the IPL 2023 Clasico.
“It just doesn’t seem as if he is in the game. I may be completely wrong, but the shot he played wasn’t a captain’s shot. A captain repairs the innings knowing that the team is in trouble, plays a decent knock and gets the team to a good total. Two wickets gone for not too many in the power-play and you are not in form," Gavaskar said.
“If you are in form, I still understand the scoop shot, but it’s a huge shot when you have got two ducks in the previous game. So, you want to play and get yourself off the mark, get some circulation in the legs, running quick ones and twos and then go for the big ones. Maybe, he is preoccupied and maybe a little break would do him good. But it’s for him and the MI team management to take a call,” the ex-India skipper added.
