India Need Continuity in Leadership, Rohit Sharma Has to Play Every Game: Sunil Gavaskar

Batting great Sunil Gavaskar feels that Rohit Sharma should play every ODI for India in 2023 considering it is a World Cup year which will take place in October-November. Team India captain Rohit missed the first ODI against Australia due to family commitments as Hardik Pandya led the charge in his absence. The showpiece ICC event will take place in India later this year and all eyes will be on the hosts team as it will look to end its ICC trophy drought.

Gavaskar feels that it was understandable to miss the match due to family commitments but suggested that India can’t afford to miss him in ODIs this year.

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“I think he needs to play every game. You can’t have a captain who is there for one match and not there for the rest. It is so important. It can happen to any other player but I think, I know it was a family commitment, so he had to be there. That’s understandable,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.

The BCCI stated that Rohit had some family commitments when it announced the squad for the ODI series as the swashbuckling opener missed the series opener.

Gavaskar said the skipper should miss or take the rest in the World Cup only in the case of an emergency.

“When it comes to the World Cup, you can’t have a family commitment; it’s as simple as that. Maybe before that, finish everything that you have unless it’s an emergency. Emergency is something completely different,” he stated.

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The legendary Indian cricketer suggested that India need continuity in the leadership which has not been the case in the past few months.

“You need continuity in leadership. There’s a feeling that you have got everybody with you, otherwise there are two leaders. Then there are two leaders that the team is looking at,” Gavaskar added.

India lost the three-match ODI series against Australia 1-2 and lost the top spot in the ICC ODI team rankings. Rohit returned to lead the Indian team in the last two ODIs but the result didn’t work in their favour.

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