Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has voiced his displeasure over Gautam Gambhir receiving credit for India’s aggressive approach during their recent Test victory against Bangladesh in Kanpur. In a column for Sportstar, Sunil Gavaskar asserted that the credit for India’s win should go to captain Rohit Sharma, who has championed a bold and fearless style of cricket over the last few years. He suggested that India’s aggressive batting strategy is a result of Rohit Sharma’s leadership, not Gautam Gambhir’s influence as the new coach.
Sunil Gavaskar, known for his candid opinions, labeled the recognition given to Gambhir as “foot-licking of the highest order.” He expressed disappointment in the way people have associated India’s strategy with Gambhir, despite him being in the coaching role for only a short time. Sunil Gavaskar argued that Rohit Sharma’s leadership, much like England’s under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, has transformed India’s approach to the game.
“Rohit Sharmahas been batting aggressively and encouraging his team to do the same for the last couple of years. Gambhir has only been coaching for a few months, so attributing this approach to him is unfair. Gambhir himself rarely batted in this style like McCullum used to. If any credit is due, it belongs solely to Rohit Sharma,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote.
Drawing parallels to the term “Bazball,” coined for England’s aggressive batting under McCullum, Sunil Gavaskar criticized the trend of nicknaming strategies after coaches, emphasizing that the Indian team’s style has been a consistent part of their game under Rohit’Sharmas captaincy.
Sunil Gavaskar also praised the International Cricket Council (ICC) for introducing the World Test Championship (WTC), which he believes has changed the perception towards Test matches. He credited the WTC points system for pushing teams to pursue wins, rather than settling for draws, as India did in the rain-affected Kanpur Test. He noted that without the WTC points on offer, India may not have batted as aggressively as they did.
The Kanpur Test saw Bangladesh resuming their first innings at 107 for 3 on Day 4 after rain disrupted two and a half days of play. India’s bowlers bowled out Bangladesh for 233, and in their reply, India’s aggressive batting set records for the fastest milestones, scoring over 8 runs per over. Rohit Sharma, despite scoring only 23 from 11 balls, set the tone with his explosive start. India eventually bowled Bangladesh out for 146 in their second innings, securing a convincing win with a session to spare.
This victory, Sunil Gavaskar argued, is a testament to Rohit Sharma’s influence on the team, rather than Gambhir’s brief coaching stint
