Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar believes that the credit for India's impressive Test win against Bangladesh in Kanpur should go to captain Rohit Sharma, not newly appointed coach Gautam Gambhir. Gavaskar pointed out that under Rohit’s captaincy, India has adopted an aggressive style of cricket in recent years and even suggested calling it "Gohit" to describe this bold approach.
In a strongly worded column for Sportstar, Gavaskar criticized the praise Gambhir received for India’s strategy in the Kanpur Test, calling it “excessive flattery.” He acknowledged that India’s new approach was refreshing but argued it’s unfair to give Gambhir credit for the team’s tactics, similar to how England credited coach Brendon McCullum for their success.
Gavaskar explained that while England’s style changed significantly under Stokes and McCullum, India has been playing this way under Rohit for years. He noted that Gambhir has only been coaching for a few months and didn't play with the same attacking mindset as McCullum during his career. If any credit is due, Gavaskar emphasized, it should go to Rohit, not Gambhir.
He also commented on the use of nicknames like “Bazball” to describe new cricket strategies. Just as scandals are often called “-gate” after the Watergate scandal, Gavaskar said people tried to come up with similar terms to describe India’s approach. However, he argued that it’s wrong to associate the team’s success with Gambhir when Rohit is the one driving this change.
MUCH-MALIGNED ICC DESERVES APPLAUSE: GAVASKAR
Gavaskar noted that the Kanpur Test seemed to be heading for a draw after rain and a wet outfield caused two-and-a-half days of play to be lost. However, he credited the ICC for introducing the World Test Championship (WTC), which encouraged teams to push for a win because of the points at stake.
Gavaskar praised the WTC for changing the way teams approach Test matches. “As exciting as India’s batting was in Kanpur, would they have played like that if there were no points on offer? The ICC deserves credit for making every Test match meaningful,” he wrote.
Bangladesh resumed their first innings at 107 for 3 on Day 4. Indian bowlers quickly bowled them out for 233. Needing less than two sessions to surpass Bangladesh’s total, India gained a 52-run lead.
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal set the pace by scoring the fastest team fifty in just 3.1 overs. India broke world records for the fastest 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 runs, maintaining a scoring rate of over 8 runs per over. Rohit, who hit two sixes in the first over, scored 23 off 11 balls and set the tone for the innings.
In the second innings, India bowled Bangladesh out for 146 and secured a win with one session to spare, leaving everyone impressed with their aggressive approach.
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