Sunil Gavaskar suggests Rohit Sharma to play Ranji Trophy
What's the story
Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has advised Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma to play Ranji Trophy for Mumbai.
This comes after Sharma's poor performance in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Gavaskar thinks first-class matches could help Sharma find his form.
"Well, there are not much of four-day games that are available, but if there are some like the Ranji Trophy, if Mumbai do qualify for the knockout stages, he should be looking to play some matches," Gavaskar told India Today.
Performance review
Rohit's performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Sharma's performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been dismal, scoring only 31 runs from three Tests.
His average is a paltry 6.20 and strike-rate is a mere 28.18, with the highest score being 10.
In four of five innings, Sharma couldn't score beyond single digits.
This dismal show has prompted Gavaskar's suggestion for Sharma to play first-class matches like the Ranji Trophy.
Expert opinion
Gavaskar's views on Rohit's participation in Ranji Trophy
Gavaskar admitted Sharma's inclusion in Ranji Trophy could be unfair to others. But he stressed it would help Indian cricket.
"I know it's a little bit unfair on some of the boys who've been playing in the initial and qualifying stages to make way for him. But in the larger interest of Indian cricket, I think if there is a spot for him to play, he should be doing that because that's the one way that he will be giving himself time out in the middle," Gavaskar said.
Confidence boost
Gavaskar on regaining confidence through big scores
Gavaskar further said Sharma could regain his confidence by scoring big after spending a lot of time in the middle.
"It's not just about playing 15-20 overs or 35 overs in a 50-over game. It's about batting for a whole day, batting for 4.5 and 5 hours, and getting a big score. That is what is going to give him confidence for the Test matches," Gavaskar added.