“We should be equally hard on Rohit Sharma” - When Gautam Gambhir made a brutal statement during century drought in 2023

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir went hard at the then-skipper Rohit Sharma for his century drought, which extended from September 2021 to January 2023. Gambhir urged everyone to grade Rohit the way they would Virat Kohli, his teammate, if the latter had a similar stretch.

Gambhir's remarks came after India's home ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2023, when a 42 in the final ODI extended Rohit's century-less stretch to 50 innings. Yet, Team India had no trouble putting the Lankans away with a 3-0 result, including a 317-run victory in the series finale.

Talking about Rohit's dry run in terms of international centuries, Gambhir said after the Sri Lankan series (via Times Now):

“I think we should talk to him in the same space like we used to when Virat didn't get a 100 in last three and a half years. So we should be equally hard on Rohit Sharma because 50 innings in international cricket is quite a lot. It's not you didn't get a 100 in one or two series, and that is one thing that is missing in Rohit's game from the last World Cup."

Gambhir continued:

"He used to get those big 100s, this time he's looking in good form, he's hitting the ball well but he has to convert. One thing that has stood out for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and Virat has got it back, Rohit Sharma need to get it back at least before the World Cup because these two guys will be extremely important if India has to go all the way and win the World Cup."

Rohit's drought began after his brilliant 127 in the second innings of the Oval Test against England in September 2021.

When did Rohit Sharma end his century drought?

Fortunately for Rohit Sharma, his century drought in international cricket did not continue much longer. The veteran right-hander got off to starts yet again in the first two ODIs of the following series against New Zealand without converting them into three-figure scores.

Rohit finally made it big in the series finale at Indore, scoring 101 off 85 deliveries. He did not stop there, scoring another century in his next international innings in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Nagpur.

Rohit scored two more tons in the 2023 season after the back-to-back centuries against the West Indies in Tests and Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup.