Rohit Sharma must grind it out against Aussies: Gautam Gambhir

NEW DELHI: Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir compared Roger Federer with Mark Waugh for the ease on the eye both the champion sportsmen brought in their respective sport.
In his column for the Times of India, Gambhir wrote, "We will get to cricket in a while as I first want to talk about the French Open semifinal that was played on Friday. I have always been a Roger Federer fan.The ease and finesse of Federer's game has always reminded me of Mark Waugh. You may argue junior Waugh's greatness quotient and my comparison to Federer. But for a change this is not about records or statistics, numbers or titles, it is about pure aesthetics, the ease on the eye and also that extra split second that these champions have to execute their craft. A lot of time the likes of Federer or Mark Waugh are not given enough credit because they make the job look so damn easy. To be in a position to hit that perfect 26th down-the-line-shot in the fifth set of an Australian Open final in 2017 requires Federer to work very hard. For Mark to pluck a catch in the first slip off Shane Warne, despite being blinded by an enthusiastic Ian Healy, requires consistent practice."
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Even before Rohit Sharma made his international debut in 2007, there was never any doubt about his talent but inconsistency plagued the early phase of his career.
"Closer home a lot of people feel that Rohit Sharma is all talent. The general belief is that he doesn't need to work hard as stroke play comes naturally to him. I was never convinced by this observation. Perhaps Rohit smiles a lot more on the field, walks with a right shoulder-slouch of a Mohammed Azharuddin and was given a nickname "Yedaa" (meaning crazy in Marathi) by Yuvraj Singh makes people feel that maybe he is not that serious. Add to the fact that he is still trying to settle in Test cricket and doesn't have that chiseled body doesn't help Rohit's case. I hope some of this changes after his hundred in the game against South Africa," Gambhir added.
Rohit's match-winning unbeaten 122 in India's opening game against South Africa was a measured knock.
"This was not a typical Rohit Sharma flowing innings. It was more of an old-fashioned, pre-IPL era, an out of character stay at the wicket. He will need more of this in the game against Australia on Sunday where he plays for the bottom line and not for aesthetics. The current world champions will never give easy stuff to Rohit. He will have to fight it out. The wicket at the Oval has more bounce and Indian batsmen need to be mindful of that," Gambhir opined.
On Dhoni's glove controversy, Gambhir wrote that ICC's job is not to look at who is wearing what.
"There is a lot said about MS Dhoni and his gloves. I am not sure if the issue deserved that much attention. I hope we have heard the last of this and focus will now be on the gloveman and not his gloves. I feel that the ICC has more stuff to handle rather than these things. I am not saying that ICC should not put their foot down on these matters but I am clearly debating if the issue needed to be dealt the way it has been," Gambhir signed off.