Sunil Gavaskar questions Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer’s intentions after Ranji Trophy loss

Sunil Gavaskar criticizes Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer’s commitment after a disappointing Ranji Trophy loss. Read his sharp comments and analysis here.

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Sunil Gavaskar questions Rohit Sharma

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has criticized Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer for their performances in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy loss to Jammu and Kashmir. Writing in his column for Sportstar, Gavaskar questioned their intent, suggesting that their participation may have been influenced by the BCCI’s recent mandate for centrally contracted players to prioritize domestic cricket.

Mumbai’s batting struggles and Gavaskar’s concerns

Mumbai suffered a five-wicket loss in their final group-stage game, with Rohit scoring just 3 and 28, while Iyer managed 11 and 17 across two innings. Gavaskar pointed out that both batters struggled against the moving ball and failed to apply themselves on a challenging surface.

"The dismissal of Mumbai’s Test batters once again brought to the fore the perils of the all-out aggressive mode of batting that is nowadays thought of as being central to run-making. It can work on flat pitches, but on pitches where the ball is doing something, there has to be a technique good enough to keep out the good delivery," he wrote.

In contrast, Shardul Thakur and Tanush Kotian stood out with the bat. Thakur scored 119 in the second innings, while Kotian, who recently earned his maiden India call-up, registered a half-century. Gavaskar emphasized the importance of balancing aggression with caution, especially in red-ball cricket.

The legendary batter also drew parallels between India's recent Test woes and the aggressive approach that has seeped into the team's mindset.

"There are more chances of a dismissal while looking to play in a manner that one is not used to, as was seen in the recent Sydney Test [between India and Australia] when rushes of blood caused some silly-looking dismissals. A bit of common sense and patience, rather than a fatalistic approach, could have gotten another 50 runs, and that could well have altered the result of the match and the series," he added.

Gavaskar raised the possibility that Rohit and Iyer played in the Ranji Trophy simply to ensure they retained their BCCI contracts, rather than out of genuine commitment to domestic cricket.

"Whether their hearts were in it or they did that only to ensure they were not stripped of their BCCI contracts, like Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were, after missing out on the Ranji Trophy games last year, is known only to them," he remarked.

Looking ahead, Gavaskar expressed keen interest in seeing whether KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, and Virat Kohli participate in the upcoming Ranji Trophy round, beginning January 30.

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