“Rohit Sharma could have also scored 4 hundreds in the World Cup” - Gautam Gambhir reckons stats-related obsession hurting sub-continent teams

Former India batter Gautam Gambhir has opined that sub-continent cricket teams can deliver desired results on the big stage only if they do away with their stats-related obsession. Hailing Men in Blue skipper Rohit Sharma’s approach during the 2023 World Cup, Gambhir pointed out that he too could have scored a few hundreds, but batted for the team.

The 2023 World Cup saw a number of batters smashing hundreds. While South Africa’s Quinton de Kock hit four tons, Virat Kohli and Rachin Ravindra struck three centuries each. Rohit hit only one hundred to go with three fifties. Yet, he finished as the second-leading run-getter in the 2023 World Cup, hammering 597 runs at a strike rate of 125.95.

During a discussion with Sportskeeda, Gambhir shared his thoughts on why Asian sides like India and Pakistan need to start looking beyond numbers in cricket.

“Hundreds don’t matter, Rohit Sharma’s approach matters. Rohit Sharma could have also scored four hundreds in the World Cup. It’s not difficult to score hundreds in one-day cricket. Quinton de Kock also made four. Unless sub-continent teams move away from their obsession for stats, our results will not be of the desired level,” the 42-year-old said.

“It is as a nation that we have to change. If Jasprit Bumrah takes five wickets, he becomes a great bowler. If someone takes two, then he is not. It’s important to be a good bowler. Those two wickets were crucial,” Gambhir went on to add.

Kohli (765 runs) was the leading run-getter in the 2023 World Cup, while Mohammed Shami (24 wickets) was the top wicket-taker. However, India could not lift the trophy, going down to Australia in the final.

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“In the last four years, I don’t know how many next captains we have made” - Gautam Gambhir

During the interaction, Gambhir also slammed people’s obsession with terming young players who perform well as captaincy material. He wondered in jest how many next captains India have earmarked over the last few years.

“If any young player scores a hundred, he is touted as the next captain. In the last four years, I don’t know how many next captains we have made. If Shubman Gill does well in one game, he’s the next India captain, if Shreyas Iyer scores a hundred, he’s the next India captain. Same when Rishabh Pant was doing well,” the former India opener commented.

“Captaincy is not important, winning the match for the county is important. Captaincy is just a responsibility. There is this race for the next captain. Rohit Sharma has not won the World Cup, so who is the next captain? You will make someone else leader, if he doesn’t win, then again the same question - who is next,” Gambhir concluded.

The 42-year-old played 58 Tests, 147 ODIs, and 37 T20Is for India, scoring over 10,000 international runs.