Gavaskar's Blunt Advice for Out-of-Form Rohit Sharma in Ranji Trophy: Unfair on Some Boys but...

Rohit struggled during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring only 31 runs across three Tests against Australia. He was unable to participate in the series opener in Perth, and upon making his comeback for the day-night Test in Adelaide, he continued to struggle to make an impact.

In four out of five innings that he batted in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rohit failed to go past single digits.

“Well, there are not much of four-day games that are available, but if there are some like the Ranji Trophy, if Mumbai do qualify for the knockout stages, he should be looking to play some matches," Gavaskar told India Today.

“I know it's a little bit unfair on some of the boys who've been playing in the initial and qualifying stages to make way for him. But in the larger interest of Indian cricket, I think if there is a spot for him to play, he should be doing that because that's the one way that he will be giving himself time out in the middle,” he added.

'Playing in Ranji Trophy will give him confidence'

Gavaskar also said that if Rohit Sharma plays the Ranji Trophy and spends some time in the middle, he would gain some confidence.

“It's not just about playing 15–20 overs or 35 overs in a 50-over game. It's about batting for a whole day, batting for 4.5 and 5 hours, and getting a big score. That is what is going to give him confidence for the Test matches," said Gavaskar.

Due to a poor string of scores, Rohit Sharma did not take part in the New Year's Test in Sydney. On Day 2, Rohit gave an interview to the host broadcaster, clarifying that he himself stood down after speaking to head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar.

“Like I told you this decision is not a retirement decision nor am I going to step aside from the game, there is no such decision. I am out of the game because bat nahi chal raha hai," said Rohit Sharma.

"There is no guarantee that the bat will not work after five months, there is no guarantee that the bat will not work after two months. We have seen a lot in cricket, every minute. every second, everyday life changes. So I have this belief in myself that things will change but at the same time you know I have to be realistic as well," he added.

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