Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar showered praise on Rohit Sharma for making the most of his experience in the second ODI against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide on Thursday. After India lost early wickets of captain Shubman Gill and veteran batter Virat Kohli, it was crucial for Rohit Sharma to steady the ship with vice-captain Shreyas Iyer.

Rohit scored a decent knock of 73 runs off 97 balls with seven fours and two sixes. The Indian opener added 118 runs off 136 balls with Shreyas Iyer for the third wicket. 

Meanwhile, it has been noted that Rohit has been playing with an aggressive approach in the 50-overs format but the veteran batter decided to play according to the match situation on Thursday.

Sunil Gavaskar said on India Today, “Bringing all the experience into play. They had lost Shubman Gill and Kohli early, so it was required of Rohit Sharma to settle down a little bit. When we played the World Cup or even the Champions Trophy, he was looking to get the team off to a vertical take-off start. But, every batter realizes that even in an ODI, the minimum score you should be looking to get is a 100.

“Rohit Sharma is now not looking to blast the ball in the first 10 overs and getting a quick 40-45 in 20-25 deliveries. Young SG (Shubman Gill) was pleased with what he did, so how can old SG be displeased?,” the former India opener added.

The Little Master reckons this knock of 73 runs will do Rohit a world of good as he is returning to action after a long break.

Gavaskar concluded, “It does wonders to his confidence. Like Kohli, he hasn’t played any international cricket for 4-5 months. It’s really big that against Australia, on a pitch that is not really easy to bat on, where there was a little more bounce, he got a 70-plus. That is definitely something that will raise you confidence.”

The third and final ODI between India and Australia will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.