Gavaskar wants Rohit to reconsider his approach, emphasizing his ability to play long innings.
Gavaskar's comments came after head coach Gautam Gambhir defended Rohit's intent, stating that the dressing room does not judge the captain based on statistics but rather on the impact he creates with his explosive starts at the top.
However, Gavaskar wants Rohit to reconsider his approach, emphasizing that the right-handed opener has the ability to single-handedly influence matches if he bats for 20-25 overs in ODIs.
Rohit has registered scores of 41, 20, 15 and 28 in the four innings of India’s Champions Trophy campaign so far.
"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 while speaking to India Today.
"Therefore, from an aesthetic point of view, from a crowd-pleasing perspective-I am not speaking from the team's point of view-if 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," he added.
Rohit’s fearless batting template took shape during the 2023 World Cup at home and played a critical role in India's T20 World Cup triumph in 2024.
"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 stated.
"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," he further remarked.
Rohit Sharma will now be keen to make amends in the title clash of the Champions Trophy against New Zealand on Sunday (March 9) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.