New Delhi: It was, perhaps, unnecessary that Shubman Gill, the vice-captain of Team India, spoke of no discussion on the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli on Saturday. The mandatory press conference on the eve of the Champions Trophy final in Dubai has led to great expectations. Nine months ago, when Rohit Sharma grabbed the ICC T20 World Cup in the West Indies, the celebrations were berserk. Obviously, cricket lovers expect more in the form of another trophy in the ODI format.
Is it a realistic expectation? Nobody knows. Such has been the performance from the Men in Blue in Dubai, there is hope and hype. If it is batting, Gill, who spoke on Saturday, should be worried about his own form. The same holds true for Rohit as well. As opener, Rohit does come in and scores 15 to 20 runs at a fast clip. But this is the ODI format and to expect a half-century from him would be in order. If someone says the focus on Sunday will be on Rohit, it is not wrong. As skipper and batter, he has two roles to fulfil. He has led with flourish and shuffled the bowling well. The way he has used Varun Chakravarthy as the mystery spinner has also come in for praise.
But the real question is: Can Rohit score on Sunday? That will answer a lot and clear doubts in the minds of fans as well as the BCCI. There is a school of thought which feels Rohit is past prime. What happened in the BGT series Down Under in January is still fresh in memory. Rohit had almost called it quits before he came on camera and said he was not going anywhere. It is also well-known, the relationship between him and coach Gautam Gambhir in Australia was frosty.
In Dubai, Gambhir has spoken up for Rohit and said how he and the BCCI views Rohit is not just in terms of runs, stats and more. He hinted, the aggro and energy which Rohit brings in is more valuable. Fair enough, but Gambhir also knows, the next ODI World Cup is in 2027 and a team has to be built. There is now more than a whisper whether promoting Gill as deputy was the right choice as he has not been scoring. A leader or deputy has to set an example by performance. Gill has failed and so has Rohit. So, if India do not win the Champions Trophy on Sunday, it will become easy for Rohit to retire from ODIs. He did that when India won the T20 World Cup, saying goodbye to the shortest format of T20 in international cricket.
One could well ask, is this a more important topic, a skipper retiring than the main match itself? Well, India have won convincingly till now in Dubai. To have beaten New Zealand once before is a big plus. But never underestimate the Black Caps. Their silence is dangerous and they love to come out smoking under pressure. Certainly, when it comes to the final, India cannot take the Kiwis lightly. It’s a team which believes in collective performance. Back to the match, the way Virat Kohli has upped his game has been defining. He scored a ton against Pakistan and that has set him on fire.