India pulled off a remarkable win in Kanpur Test despite two days of playing being washed out.
After Indian bowlers bundled out the visitors for 233 in the first innings on Day 4, Rohit Sharma’s men took the visiting attack to the cleaners, posting 285/9 (declared) in just 34.4 overs.
While Rohit (23 off 11) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (72 off 51) set the tone with a 55-run stand in just 3.5 overs, the likes of Shubman Gill (39 off 36), Virat Kohli (47 off 35) and KL Rahul (68 off 43) carried on the demolition job to help India gain a crucial 52-run lead.
After the unexpected win, many experts and former cricketer credited the captain-coach duo of Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir for the shift in India’s playing style. However, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar thinks otherwise.
According to Gavaskar, the credit for India’s ultra-aggressive approach to win the Kanpur Test should solely be given to Rohit as he’s been batting in that manner for some time now.
“While one paper called the Indian batting “Bossball” because the captain or “boss” of the team, Rohit, had shown the way, some from the old powers referred to it as “Gamball” after the Indian coach, Gautam Gambhir,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“While the England batting approach changed completely under the new regime of Ben Stokes and McCullum, we have seen over the last couple of years that Rohit has been batting like this and encouraging his team to do so as well,” he added.
Gavaskar further mentioned that while McCullum was known for his quick strike-rate even in the traditional format, Gambhir didn’t bat the same way and therefore it’s unfair to credit him for the Kanpur Test win.
“Gambhir has only been coaching for a couple of months, so attributing this approach to him is foot-licking of the highest quality. Gambhir himself hardly ever batted in this fashion like McCullum used to do. If any credit is due, it is solely to Rohit and nobody else,” he wrote.
Gavaskar also suggested a term to describe India’s aggressive display in the Kanpur Test against Bangladesh.
“Instead of using the words this-ball or that-ball, I would suggest using the skipper’s first name, Rohit, and term it the “Gohit” approach. Hopefully, brainier people will come up with a trendier name for this rather than the lazy option of calling it after “Bazball”,” he stated.
Gavaskar acknowledged Jaiswal’s blistering knock in the first innings of Kanpur Test, but he believes it was Rohit who unsettled Bangladesh bowlers by playing risky shots.
“The first two deliveries he (Rohit) faced were smashed for sixes, and the innings gained momentum at breakneck speed from thereon,” Gavaskar wrote. “To be fair, young Yashasvi Jaiswal also hammered three boundaries in the very first over of the innings, but those could be described as risk-free punches.”
“The skipper, on the other hand, took a risk as he advanced down the pitch to the very first delivery he faced, smiting it over long-on for a mighty six. When the bowler shortened his length for the next delivery, it was pulled over square leg for another maximum. This completely threw the Bangladesh bowlers off, and the others that followed just didn’t know where to bowl,” he added.