Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar and Rohit Sharma at odds after criticism

Dubai: Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar and current skipper Rohit Sharma are reportedly at odds following a series of events that led Rohit to lodge a formal complaint against Gavaskar with the Indian cricket board.

The former opener has been openly critical of Rohit, especially after the under-pressure captain dropped himself for the final Test against Australia in Sydney. Gavaskar recently escalated his criticism by questioning Rohit’s commitment following Mumbai’s loss to Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy last week.

Gavaskar’s unwavering critique

Gavaskar, known for his fearless opinions, hasn’t held back on assessing Rohit’s performance. He has previously expressed dissatisfaction with the Indian team’s commitment and technique, including that of star batter Virat Kohli. His comments were based on stats and performance.

“If a captain doubts his place in the team, it’s time to retire,” Gavaskar remarked during the Sydney Test.

This comment appears to have struck a nerve with Rohit. According to Cricblogger, citing a source close to the matter, “Rohit felt that it was not necessary for Sunil Gavaskar to criticise him in that fashion, and that’s why he complained to the BCCI about Gavaskar. All this added so much pressure that he was compelled to tell it all to the BCCI.”

Ranji Trophy sparks further discontent

Gavaskar has also criticised Rohit and fellow Mumbai batter Shreyas Iyer for their performances during the Ranji Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir. Mumbai suffered a five-wicket loss, with Rohit scoring 3 and 28, and Iyer managing 11 and 17 in the two innings.

In his Sportstar column, Gavaskar, dubbed as Little Master, highlighted the lack of adaptability shown by the Indian batters on a challenging track. “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.

Praising efforts, questioning intent

Gavaskar did, however, praise Shardul Thakur and Tanush Kotian for their crucial partnership, which gave Mumbai a chance to defend a target. Yet, he remained critical of the senior players’ commitment, suggesting their participation in the Ranji Trophy might have been motivated more by BCCI’s 10-point mandate than genuine interest.

“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,” Gavaskar stated.

For Rohit Sharma, Gavaskar’s comments may sting, but criticism is an inevitable part of public life — especially in cricket, where passions run high. Whether this rift fuels Rohit to rise above the scrutiny or deepens existing cracks remains to be seen. Rohit has shown strong leadership both on and off the field, and hopefully, he will take this criticism on the chin and bounce back stronger.