Sunil Gavaskar hails Rohit Sharma after latter’s Test retirement, compares his pull shot with Viv Richards

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar showered praise on Rohit Sharma after the veteran batter decided to call time on his Test career. Gavaskar, who observed Sir Viv Richards’ career from close quarters, compared Rohit Sharma’s pull shot with legendary West Indies batter’s shot.

The former Indian opener said Rohit and Viv are the two best pullers of the cricket ball he has seen in his career, both as a player and as a broadcaster.

Rohit played 67 Tests during an 11-year career, leading in 24 of them since taking over the reins of the team from Virat Kohli in 2022. He ends his career with a total of 4301 runs, including 12 centuries.

Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid Day, “I promise you that in the cricket that I have been blessed to watch, only Viv Richards played the pull shot as well as Sharma did. Viv mainly played it down from square leg to wide mid-on by meeting the ball on the bounce, while Sharma got under the bounce and then hammered from midwicket to deep fine-leg for sixes.”

“It was destructive and demoralising for a fast bowler to find his fastest delivery disappearing among the crowds. Both Richards and Sharma had other shots too, but it was the pull that took one’s breath away.”

Meanwhile, Gavaskar said Rohit Sharma has always had so much time to play the fast bowlers, which gave him a lot of advantage.

“He had so much time to play the quicks that I remember saying during the famous Gabba Test of 2021 that after the ball was delivered he could take off his helmet, comb his hair, wear the helmet back and still have the time to swat the ball away into the crowd. The Australian quick attack of Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood were really steaming in and bowling quick, but Sharma was facing them as if he was playing spinners,” said Gavaskar.

“As an Indian at a time when the batters were treated with derision for the discomfort against fast bowling, it made one feel proud to see opposition quicks being treated in this disdainful manner. Today, when batting is all about power, Sharma’s grace was a soothing balm to the eyes even as the ball went to the farthest corner of the stadium.”

Rohit will continue to lead India in ODIs.