IND vs SL 2022: Rohit Sharma should put his pull shot in cold storage until he is set – Sunil Gavaskar

Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar wants Rohit Sharma to evade the pull shot until he is set.

Rohit is regarded as one of the best pullers in the game but he has been getting dismissed while playing the pull shot in the recent past, especially in Test cricket. The right-hander has all the shots in his repertoire but he has never shied away from playing the pull shot if the ball is there to be hit.

In the first Test match against Sri Lanka, Rohit got two boundaries against Lahiru Kumara while playing his favorite shot but then holed out to deep fine leg in the same over. In fact, Rohit had got off to a start as he had scored 29 runs but could not convert it into a substantial score.

The right-hander was also dismissed while playing the same shot in Australia. However, Rohit had earlier said it is the shot that has given him dividends and he will keep playing it if the ball is there to be hit.

“He has got to think about it. You can argue that it is a productive shot but that is not the only shot. He has got so many others. Now every bowler who has a little bit of pace will fancy his chances against him saying, ‘I don’t mind going for a couple of sixes or boundaries but there will be an opportunity because he hits the ball in the air’,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

“So he has got to work the percentages out. If he still thinks that the percentages are working in his favour, then go on playing but at the moment, they aren’t working in his favour. So maybe he should put it in cold storage till he gets to 80,90, 100,” said Gavaskar.

Rohit has taken giant strides in the red-ball version and he will need to show a bit more patience, especially at the beginning of the innings. Rohit had done a fine job in the tough English conditions as he had scored 368 runs in four Test matches and had delivered the goods as an opener.

The veteran batter has definitely matured as a Test batter and he would like to bat with more responsibility. India will play the second Test match against Sri Lanka at Bengaluru from Saturday.