“Rohit Sharma got out to an extremely bad shot against Pakistan, would be disappointed”, says Gautam Gambhir.

In the third match of the Super Four stage in the Asia Cup 2023, Pakistan’s Babar Azam decided to field first against India in Colombo. This decision led to a fiery opening partnership that reminded Indian cricket fans of the days when Virender Sehwag used to open the innings and wreak havoc on the opposition’s bowling attacks.

Shubman Gill wasted no time and took the attack to the Pakistani pacers right from the start, setting the tone for India. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma adopted a more patient approach, waiting for the right moment to unleash his shots. Together, they built a formidable partnership of 121 runs for the first wicket in just 17 overs, putting India in a commanding position for a big total.

However, Rohit Sharma’s innings came to an end when he played what many described as an “extremely bad shot” against leg-spinner Shadab Khan. It was an unexpected dismissal as Rohit chipped a seemingly innocuous delivery to the long-off fielder.

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir didn’t mince words in his criticism of Rohit’s shot selection. He believed that this dismissal allowed Pakistan to make a comeback into the game after they appeared to be struggling following India’s aggressive start.

Gautam Gambhir said “I feel he will be extremely disappointed. The way Rohit Sharma got out, it was an extremely bad shot. He himself knows that shot deserves to be criticized because Pakistan were down and out at that stage.”

“At one point, it seemed India might score 370-375. Rohit Sharma played a bad shot and Shubman Gill got out in the very next over. You don’t want to give even the slightest window to a bowling attack like Pakistan. You gave a window and you played that shot against the bowler you had hit for 30 runs in two overs. If it had been a bowler who had been bowling well, it would have been alright as you were under pressure. If you had just stood there, he would have given you one or two bad balls every over,”