Sunil Gavaskar Responds If Rohit Sharma Is 'Deliberately Underperforming' Under Shubman Gill

Veteran opener Rohit Sharma miserably failed to leave a mark during India's first ODI of the three-match series against Australia in Perth on Sunday. The first ODI, which India lost by seven wickets (DLS method), marked the return of the star duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit to international cricket, but both the batters had forgettable outings, scoring a duck and eight runs, respectively. This was also the first match where Rohit played under the captaincy of Shubman Gill, who became India's new ODI skipper.

As Rohit failed to score big, many fans on social media circulated a theory that the right-handed batter deliberately underperformed to undermine Gill's captaincy.

These remarks went viral on social media, fetching reactions from all over the world. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar completely dismissed such fan-based rumors, stating that no player would ever underperform as his own spot in the team would also be at stake.

"Over the years, a significant misconception among Indian cricket fans is that if a player is replaced as captain, he will attempt to undermine the new captain by not performing to the best of his ability. Nothing can be further from the truth, for the simple fact is that if a captain has been replaced and then doesn't perform, he could be out of the team altogether," Gavaskar wrote in his column for The Sportstar.

"So, no player, however aggrieved he may feel at losing the captaincy, is ever going to underperform deliberately," he added.

Gavaskar further stated that having the likes of Rohit and Virat in the team will always be a plus point for a young captain like Gill as the duo would offer priceless guidance to him.

"With that misconception still going strong, many are questioning if young Shubman Gill will be able to handle two former captains, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who are part of the three-match One-Day International series against Australia. Gill has gone out of his way to say that his equation with them hasn't changed simply because he is the captain now," said Gavaskar.

"If anything, he will only benefit by having these two stalwarts by his side. Both would be happy to offer suggestions if asked, and what could be better for a captain leading in this format for the first time than to have two of the greatest ODI players playing in his team?" he added.

The second ODI between India and Australia will be played on Thursday at the Adelaide Oval.

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