I would have loved to bat like Rohit Sharma: Sunil Gavaskar
Former Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar has stated that he had always wanted to play aggressively at the top of the order just like Rohit Sharma and Virender Sehwag in all forms of the game or like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly in ODI cricket.
Sunil Gavaskar spoke at length about his international career and the current Indian team during a chat on the India Today show 'eInspiration'.
The former Indian opener mentioned that he had always dreamt of taking the attack to the opposition bowlers from the very first over while highlighting the way Virender Sehwag did it in all forms of the game and how Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly did in white-ball cricket.
"For me the dream was to smash the bowling from the first over, I wasn't able to do that. But when I see a Virender Sehwag go out and do it, the way he did it."
"When Sachin and Sourav opened the batting, the way they went about in limited overs cricket but Virender Sehwag in Test cricket as well."
Sunil Gavaskar observed that he would have loved to have batted like Rohit Sharma, the way the Hitman is destroying the opposition attack right from the very outset of the innings.
"The way you see Rohit Sharma opening the batting in ODI cricket, the way he is opening the batting in Test cricket, smashing from the first over, that is how I wanted to play."
The septuagenarian acknowledged that the circumstances and a lack of belief in his ability hindered him from playing in a more attacking manner while expressing delight in the manner in which the later generation players showed an attacking frame of mind at the start of their innings.
"Circumstances and off course lack of confidence in my ability to do that, did not allow me to do that."
"But when I see the next generation doing it, I am absolutely over the moon. I love watching the next generation because there you see progress, they are setting the bar higher for the generation that will follow."
Sunil Gavaskar on Rohit Sharma's approach to batting
Sunil Gavaskar was asked again if he was serious while saying that he would have wanted to play like Rohit Sharma. He responded that it was definitely the case while pointing out the manner in which the Indian opener provides a flying start to the innings without taking undue risks.
"Absolutely, look at the way he gets the team off to a flying start. From the first ball he is hitting the ball, he is hitting it through the covers for a boundary. He doesn't really go over the top."
The Little Master highlighted the way Rohit Sharma plans his knocks by just trying to find the gap and not going over the top in the initial stages of his innings.
"If you have a look, Rohit Sharma's innings are very very calculative innings, he has got such a fantastic range of shots that when he starts he is looking to play all along the ground, trying to find the gap in the mandatory overs of field restrictions to score the boundaries."
Gavaskar observed that Rohit Sharma only takes the aerial route once he is well set and has got the measure of the playing surface.
"It is only later on the innings once he has got the measure of the pitch that he is looking to play the aerial shots and the sixes. So to be able to hit from the first over would be fantastic."
Sunil Gavaskar ended on a jovial note by reminding everyone that he was the first Indian batsman to have struck a six in ODI cricket.
"Just to add to that, the first person to hit a six for India in ODIs was yours truly, way back in 1974 in the first-ever ODI that India played. I think there were 3 sixes hit, I hit the first one and Brijesh Patel hit another two sixes in that innings. I am very proud of that."
Rohit Sharma was in scintillating batting form last year. He had an outstanding World Cup 2019 where he finished as the highest run-scorer with 648 runs to his credit including 5 centuries.
He carried this form into Test cricket, where he made the most of the opportunity to bat at the top of the order accumulating 556 runs in just 6 innings including 3 centuries with the highest score of 212.
Considering his exploits over the last few seasons, Rohit Sharma would be recognised with the Khel Ratna award by the Government of India this year.