Sunil Gavaskar dismisses Gambhir's defense of Rohit Sharma, questions India captain's performance: 'Satisfied with just 25 runs?'

India captain Rohit Sharma's lackluster performance in the ICC Champions Trophy has raised concerns, as he has only managed to score 104 runs in four innings so far. Despite scoring a century in a lead-up match, Rohit's form in the tournament has been disappointing. With the all-important final against New Zealand approaching, experts are worried about his ability to deliver under pressure. Head coach Gautam Gambhir has defended Rohit, criticizing the critics for their negative comments. However, former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has urged Rohit to reevaluate his batting approach, suggesting that a change may be necessary for him to succeed in the final match. Whether Rohit can rise to the occasion and lead India to victory remains to be seen.

Speaking to reporters after India's win against Australia in the semifinal on Tuesday, Gambhir said that numbers don't define Rohit's form, the impact he creates with those explosive starts matters to the team. However, in a conversation with India Today, Gavaskar asked Rohit to let go of the aggressive mindset in the match against the Black Caps, which could be his final appearance in ODI cricket, and take the game deep by batting for at least 25 overs.

"This is an approach he has been following for the last two years or so. It started around the World Cup in India, and he has been sticking to that formula. He has had some success, though perhaps not as much as his talent should warrant. He is an incredibly talented player with a range of shots that not many others in the game possess," Gavaskar said on Wednesday.

"Therefore, from an aesthetic point of view, from a crowd-pleasing perspective, I am not speaking from the team's point of view. He bats for even 25 overs, India will be around 180-200. Imagine if they have lost only a couple of wickets by then; just think what they could do-they could reach 350 or more."

'Are you happy scoring 25 runs?'

Rohit had changed his approach in white-ball cricket before the 2023 ODI World Cup, which became a crucial factor in India's run to the final and a title win in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Gavaskar reckoned if Rohit can go against his template and bat deep, he can carve out a match-winning knock against New Zealand.

"He also needs to give it some thought. It's one thing to go out and play aggressively, but there has to be a bit of discretion somewhere to give himself the chance to bat for 25-30 overs. If he does that, he takes the game away from the opposition," Gavaskar added.

"That kind of impact is match-winning. And I think, as a batter, are you happy with scoring 25-30 runs? You shouldn't be! So that is what I would say to him: your impact on the team will be even greater if you bat for 25 overs instead of just seven, eight, or nine overs."

Despite Gavaskar's urge, Rohit is unlikely to abandon his aggressive batting template against New Zealand when the two teams clash for the Champions Trophy title on Sunday in Dubai.

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