Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar feels that credit for India’s ultra-aggressive approach to win the Kanpur Test which was severely impacted by the weather should solely be credit to Rohit Sharma as he’s been batting in that manner for some time now to set the tone.
After just 35 overs of play on Day 1 of the Kanpur Test between India and Bangladesh, the following two days were a complete washout. With two days remaining and not even one innings completed, the contest seemed headed towards a draw.
However, after Bangladesh’s first innings ended on 233-all out in 74.2 overs, India produced a blistering show with the bat and broke a host of records including for the quickest team 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 in the Test history.
India took a 52-run lead before skittling Bangladesh for 146 in the second dig leaving them chasing 95 to win the contest which they did in just 17.2 overs for the loss of three wickets.
“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.”
Gavaskar argued that while McCullum was known for his quick strike-rate even in Test cricket, Gambhir didn’t bat the same way and therefore feels it’s unfair to credit the head coach with the new approach.
“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 has suggested his own wordplay to encapsulate India’s tactics: ‘Gohit’.
“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 wrote.
Gavaskar also explained how even though Yashasvi Jaiswal kickstarted India’s blistering run in the first innings of Kanpur Test with a hat-trick of boundaries, 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.
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