'You'll Never See Kohli..' - Gavaskar's Staggering Remarks On Rohit Sharma

image-lnmqbdjtRohit Sharma scored his 31st ODI century vs AFG [Twitter]

Even as Rohit Sharma entered the beast mode and hammered the struggling Afghanistan attack left, right and centre at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi for a magnificent World Cup 2023 century, legendary Sunil Gavaskar wasn't overly amused by the approach and intent on display from the Indian skipper. 

Rohit unleashed his wrath at the top to turn an otherwise competitive run-chase of 273 against the Afghans into a no-contest, producing a breathtaking assault to make 131 off 84 deliveries, including 16 fours and 5 sixes. The limited-overs giant raced along to the three-figure mark in only 63 balls, which is now the fastest-ever World Cup hundred recorded by an Indian. 

The knock garnered widespread praise and will be etched in the minds of the packed crowd inside the historic ground in the national capital as India rallied their way to a tremendous eight-wicket victory with 15 overs remaining in their innings and pulled off successive wins at the beginning of the tournament.


Gavaskar's Interesting Kohli Reference On Rohit's Knock 

However, Gavaskar stood displeased with Rohit's aggressive streak at the crease, especially how he took the aerial route on a consistent basis and risked his century to put the bowlers off their plans. Gavaskar said it's the reason why the elegant right-hander has missed out on hundreds on multiple occasions since the pandemic.

The batting maestro expressed his criticism of Rohit's skied strokes while sitting in the commentary box. Gavaskar was on-air when the Indian skipper played Rashid Khan for a big shot that just evaded the mid-on fielder. Since Rohit hadn't crossed the three-figure mark yet, the Indian legend fumed at his lack of desperation for the century.

Gavaskar also made an interesting Kohli reference behind the mic, stating he has never seen the modern-day great play so many "big shots" especially when the scoring rate is already running off the charts. 

"He has missed out on so many hundreds playing these shots," Gavaskar was heard saying, wanting Rohit to show greater keenness to bag the milestone. "You will never see Virat Kohli playing these big shots many times especially when the scoring rate is already too high."

Notably, the exceptional century against Afghanistan was only Rohit's second hundred in One-Day Internationals since the start of 2021. A true great of Indian cricket, Rohit has selflessly transitioned into a full-blown aggressor at the top of the order with time after spending his peak years in the role of an anchor.