Having retired from T20Is and Tests in the 2024-25 season, Rohit Sharma remains active for India only in ODIs. He dominated the 50-over format last year, finishing as India’s second highest run-getter and earning the Player-of-the-Series award on the tour of Australia.
While Rohit has registered scores of 26, 24, 11, 16, 48 and 79 in six ODI appearances this year, legendary Sunil Gavaskar reckons the upcoming three-match series in England is a perfect platform for the veteran campaigner to solidify his opening role for the 2027 World Cup.
Gavaskar noted that the 39-year-old Rohit is fully aware of his standing and needs to deliver consistent performances.
“When has there not been a lot of talk about Rohit Sharma, there has always been a lot of talk about Rohit Sharma,” Gavaskar said in an interaction organised by Sony Sports.
“He knows where he stands. I think there obviously has been a clear sort of information flow from those who matter and Rohit Sharma. He knows exactly where he stands and all that he needs to do over the next year-and-a-half leading up to the World Cup is to consistently deliver.
“I don't think he's the kind of person who feels any pressure with the talent and the ability that he has. England (tour) is a very good platform for him to show that even a year-and-a-half down the road, he'll be there opening the batting for India,” he added.
Gavaskar stressed that pressure and scrutiny are permanent realities for Indian cricketers, meaning senior players must constantly perform to maintain their positions.
Gavaskar said scrutiny for any Indian player never ends and the senior batters would know they have to keep delivering.
“When you are a young player making a debut, the scrutiny is on you, how you handle international (cricket's) pressure, whether you have the temperament and the taste for international competition,” the 76-year-old stated.
“The scrutiny starts from there and it hardly ever ends as far as Indian cricket is concerned, and so the scrutiny being on them is not going to be something new for them.
“They know how to handle the pressure and they know that the only way is to keep on scoring runs, to keep on taking the catches that come their way, affect the run outs and at the same time, be at hand to the captain to give their advice because of their experience that they have had as captains,” he remarked.
Gavaskar pointed out that as players cross the age of 35, public focus naturally shifts from temperament to physical fitness, a challenge he believes both Rohit and Virat Kohli are fully capable of managing.
“As you age and come post 35, the scrutiny is more on your physical conditioning and fitness rather than the temperament,” he said. “With the experience that they have, they'll be able to take care of that quite easily.”
According to Gavaskar, the current core of Indian white-ball players can sustain dominance for the next 8-10 years.
“There will be a little tweak here and there, surely, but when you look at the core which is going to be there for the next maybe 8-10 years if not more, I do believe that this team has the capability of leaving up a very lasting, very enjoyable legacy when they when they finish with their cricket," the former India captain said.
On a different note, Sunil Gavaskar expressed his surprise at the timing of Ben Stokes' retirement from international cricket. The England all-rounder called it quits midway through the just-concluded third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
“I thought he would probably retire at the end of the season, play against Pakistan and when the England's home season ends, that is when I thought he would probably call it a call it a day,” Gavaskar said.
“The surprise is only in the timing, a little bit earlier than what I thought. Somebody of his caliber, quality, (and) impact not being in the team is always very good for the opposition,” he added.
(With PTI Inputs)
