Dissecting the cheap dismissal of India's world-class top-order, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar issued an eye-catching statement about Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who perished for an embarrassing individual score against Australia on Thursday. After hammering Australia in their backyard to punch their tickets for the summit clash, a lot was expected from Team India's formidable batting lineup when Rohit and Co. squared off against Pat Cummins' men in the final of the ICC World Test Championship at The Oval.
With Indian bowlers making a strong comeback after taking a heavy beating on the opening day, Indian openers had their task cut out when Rohit and Shubman Gill kickstarted India's innings on Day 2 at The Oval. After showing signs of a resurgence, Rohit was eventually out LBW (Leg Before Wicket) by Aussie skipper Cummins in the sixth over. Three balls later, Scott Boland bamboozled Gill in the next over before premier batter Cheteshwar Pujara followed suit and capped off a forgetful outing.
Gavaskar's sly dig at Rohit
Discussing the batting failures of the Indian batters, Gavaskar acknowledged that skipper Rohit has struggled for form since the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. “I think it's a couple of misjudgements from probably like Shubman Gill, who has been in great form. Losing him was a big blow. Rohit Sharma has been not in the best of touches in the IPL. So, him playing across the line was not that much of a surprise. But again Pujara, not quite covering his stumps and getting out. So these were the dismissals that could have been avoided. But to Australia's credit, they bowled a much fuller length, and got the batters into thinking that the line was such that most batters - however good you are, that off stump, there is always a little bit of uncertainty,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
Rahane rebirth
{{/usCountry}}Discussing the batting failures of the Indian batters, Gavaskar acknowledged that skipper Rohit has struggled for form since the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. “I think it's a couple of misjudgements from probably like Shubman Gill, who has been in great form. Losing him was a big blow. Rohit Sharma has been not in the best of touches in the IPL. So, him playing across the line was not that much of a surprise. But again Pujara, not quite covering his stumps and getting out. So these were the dismissals that could have been avoided. But to Australia's credit, they bowled a much fuller length, and got the batters into thinking that the line was such that most batters - however good you are, that off stump, there is always a little bit of uncertainty,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
Rahane rebirth
{{/usCountry}}Though Gavaskar castigated the top-order batters of the Asian giants, the batting legend also welcomed the return of ex-vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane in the whites. Undergoing a metamorphosis at Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to revive his career in the IPL 2023, Rahane played a gritty knock of 29* off 71 balls to put up a fight for the crestfallen side at The Oval. After surviving a no-ball from Cummins, Rahane ended up stitching a crucial 71-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja (48) to keep India in the hunt.
“He has been in very good form in the IPL. We have seen a different Rahane. Somebody who is prepared to take the attack to the bowling. He used to do that earlier on as well. But you know after a while, when you are one of the main batters, the responsibility can be that you curb a few shots. But it's almost like he has been reborn as a Test player. He last played a Test match in January 2022 against New Zealand if I'm correct. Then to come back now the way he has, he is looking good. He was a little bit of lucky with that no-ball being called. Every batter needs that little bit of luck. I'm hoping that he can carry on and take India to a total that is closer to Australia's total,” Gavaskar added.