New Delhi, Oct 4 : Sunil Gavaskar has revealed why Rohit Sharma’s dismissal for 92 in India’s third ODI against the West Indies left him disappointed, saying the former India captain could potentially finish his international career after the 2027 ODI World Cup and that he would like Rohit to retire with more ODI hundreds than his age.
Rohit’s 92 came during India’s 2-1 series victory, with the West Indies winning the final match by successfully chasing 352 on the back of captain Shai Hope’s unbeaten 162. Gavaskar believes there is a special significance in a batter having more international hundreds than his age at the time of retirement, and he wants Rohit to reach that milestone.
“The reason I was disappointed with Rohit getting out on 92 is because he didn’t get a hundred and he might possibly quit international cricket after the end of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027. And at that particular point of time, when he decides to call it a day, I personally would like Rohit to have more ODI hundreds than his age. Had he gotten a century in the third ODI, he would have moved closer to achieving that feat with his 36th hundred,” Gavaskar told JioStar.
“For me, it’s a special thing when a player’s hundreds outnumber his age at retirement. It shows the kind of career they have had and the standard they have kept for so many years. That is why I really want Rohit to reach that mark. In my last year of international cricket, I wanted to get as many Test centuries as my age, and I got out in the 90s thrice. If I’d got those hundreds, then my centuries would have matched the age of my retirement, which was 38,” he added.
Gavaskar’s argument also comes against the backdrop of a Rohit batting approach that has evolved since the 2023 ODI World Cup. While the opener was known for taking the attack to the opposition from the very beginning of an innings during that tournament, Gavaskar feels there is now greater recognition of the value of remaining at the crease.
“A slight change has appeared in the batting template of Rohit that he himself set as the captain for the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he was going bang-bang from the first ball, irrespective of the possibility of getting out sooner. Now he recognises that his wicket is valuable. In that 2023 World Cup, he got the team off to great starts, but he’s not a batsman who will score just 30-40 runs.
He’s a hundred-maker! And therefore, I’m happy to see him score big runs. Yes, I know he missed out on a well-deserved ton in this match, but he got a hundred the previous game. So, the fact that he’s recognising that his job as a batter is also to get a hundred, and if he scores big, he gets a hundred in 70-80 deliveries which is helpful for the team because that is a great scoring rate in a 50-over game and it also keeps him away from the social media critics of slow batting,” he stated.
I want Rohit to have more ODI tons than his age: Gavaskar
