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Gavaskar Slams Gambhir Fans For 'Foot-Licking'; Credits Rohit Sharma For India’s Aggressive Batting

Gautam Gambhir & Rohit Sharma [Source: @Heropantiiii/x.com]Gautam Gambhir & Rohit Sharma [Source: @Heropantiiii/x.com]

In a sensational display of aggressive batting brilliance, India wrapped up the Kanpur Test against Bangladesh in just over four sessions despite losing two full days to poor outfield conditions. India's remarkable comeback has sparked a new conversation in cricketing circles, with several labels—ranging from "Ro-ball" to "Gamball"—attempting to describe this high-octane approach.

Gavaskar Dismisses ‘Gamball’ as He Credits Rohit for India’s New Approach

However, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has dismissed these terms, throwing his weight behind India’s captain Rohit Sharma as the true architect of this new wave of Indian cricket.

India's victory in the second Test was hard-fought. Day 1 saw just 35 overs as poor drainage at Green Park Stadium kept play halted despite minimal rain, leaving Bangladesh at 107/3 by lunch. 

Yet, when the sun finally appeared on Day 4, India sprang into action, securing a vital 52-run lead before dismantling Bangladesh's batting on the final morning. Chasing 95, India raced to the target in just 17.2 overs, sealing a thrilling win.

As plaudits poured in, a section of the Indian cricket fraternity hailed Gautam Gambhir’s influence on this aggressive shift, coining the term “Gamball.” However, Gavaskar, renowned for his forthrightness, argued that it was Rohit who truly pioneered this style in his column for Sportstar.

“While one paper called the Indian batting “Bossball” because the captain or “boss” of the team, Rohit, had shown the way, some from the old powers referred to it as “Gamball” after the Indian coach, Gautam Gambhir. While the England batting approach changed completely under the new regime of Ben Stokes and McCullum, we have seen over the last couple of years that Rohit has been batting like this and encouraging his team to do so as well,” Gavaskar asserted.

Gavaskar was unsparing in his criticism of attributing the new approach to Gambhir. He pointed out that Gambhir, known for his gritty, dogged style during his playing days, never adopted such a freewheeling approach with the bat—a stark contrast to McCullum's all-out aggressive style with England.

“Gambhir has only been coaching for a couple of months, so attributing this approach to him is foot-licking of the highest quality. Gambhir himself hardly ever batted in this fashion like McCullum used to do. If any credit is due, it is solely to Rohit and nobody else,” added the Indian veteran.

Gavaskar Unveils ‘Gohit’ Approach After India’s Dominant Win

In an emphatic stroke of wit, Sunil Gavaskar proposed a fresh term, "Gohit", to describe India's fearless approach, championed by none other than Rohit Sharma.

“Instead of using the words this-ball or that-ball, I would suggest using the skipper’s first name, Rohit, and term it the “Gohit” approach. Hopefully, brainier people will come up with a trendier name for this rather than the lazy option of calling it after “Bazball”, Gavaskar remarked, suggesting that cricket needs more imaginative terminology than mere imitations.

While cricket fans worldwide debate the origins of this new wave, one thing is clear: India's performance has pushed them one step closer to their ultimate goal in the World Test Championship.