India vs New Zealand: Sunil Gavaskar Defends Rohit Sharma Amid Criticism for ‘Casual’ Approach in New Zealand Series
Following India’s 3-0 shameful home Test series loss to New Zealand, captain Rohit Sharma faced considerable criticism for his batting and confused captaincy, with some suggesting his approach appeared "casual." Rohit, who admitted his own performance was below average, took an aggressive stance on challenging pitches but struggled across all six innings.
Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, however, pushed back on the “casual” label in a recent interview. He defended this star Indian batter, noting that the skipper’s batting style is simply “easy on the eye” and can be mistaken for a lack of intensity. Gavaskar compared Rohit’s elegant approach to that of former England great David Gower, who similarly faced misinterpretations for his effortless style. Gavaskar came in defence of the Indian skipper and said
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.
About this unwanted collapse, Rohit Sharma also explained his side and said
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.
Gavaskar’s defence interprets his belief that Rohit’s technique and approach are misunderstood rather than reflective of a casual mindset, particularly in a challenging series.
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