“Are you happy with scoring 25-30 runs?” - Indian legend disagrees with Gautam Gambhir’s take on Rohit Sharma ahead of 2025 Champions Trophy final

Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar advised skipper Rohit Sharma to prioritize batting time over quick runs ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy final. Team India will take on New Zealand in the title clash in Dubai on Sunday, March 9.

Despite India winning all four games thus far in the tournament, Rohit's lack of big scores remains a worry. While the 37-year-old has provided the side with rapid starts, he is yet to score a half-century in four innings, with an underwhelming average of 26.

Yet, after India's semifinal win over Australia, head coach Gautam Gambhir defended Rohit, saying (via India Today):

"If your captain bats with such a tempo, it just gives a very good signal to the dressing room that we want to be absolutely fearless and courageous. You evaluate from the runs; we evaluate from the impact. That's the difference. You evaluate from the stats; we evaluate from the impact."

In a conversation with India Today, Gavaskar disagreed with Gambhir's take on Rohit Sharma and said (via India Today):

"That kind of impact is match-winning. And I think, as a batter, are you happy with scoring 25-30 runs? You shouldn't be! So that is what I would say to him: your impact on the team will be even greater if you bat for 25 overs instead of just seven, eight, or nine overs."

He added:

"He also needs to give it some thought. It's one thing to go out and play aggressively, but there has to be a bit of discretion somewhere to give himself the chance to bat for 25-30 overs. If he does that, he takes the game away from the opposition."

Rohit has made a conscious effort to up the ante since 2022, paying rich dividends in India's final 2023 ODI World Cup run. However, his recent form across formats has led to fingers being pointed at the Indian skipper for his lack of big scores.

"If he bats for even 25 overs, India will be around 180-200" - Sunil Gavaskar

Rohit could not capitalize on his reprives in India's semifinal win over Australia [Credit: Getty]

Sunil Gavaskar urged Rohit Sharma to maximize his potential by batting longer periods, which will result in a bigger overall team total in 50 overs. After playing at a strike rate in the high 80s and low 90s for most of his career, Rohit has changed gears since 2022, with an ODI strike rate of over 110 in each of the last four years.

"He is an incredibly talented player with a range of shots that not many others in the game possess. Therefore, from an aesthetic point of view, from a crowd-pleasing perspective-I am not speaking from the team's point of view-if he bats for even 25 overs, India will be around 180-200. Imagine if they have lost only a couple of wickets by then; just think what they could do-they could reach 350 or more," said Gavaskar.

He added:

"This is an approach he has been following for the last two years or so. It started around the World Cup in India, and he has been sticking to that formula. He has had some success, though perhaps not as much as his talent should warrant."

Runs aside, Rohit's captaincy has been going from strength to strength as he became the first captain to lead his side to the final of all four ICC events - ODI and T20 World Cups, World Test Championship, and Champions Trophy.

He will look to lead India to back-to-back ICC titles with a win over New Zealand in the 2025 Champions Trophy final.