Indian Cricket Board Should…:Sunil Gavaskar Has Had Enough, Highlights What Is Wrong With Indian Cricket
New Delhi: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar seems to have had enough of India players asking for rest and sometimes given rest in the name of workload management and came down heavily on the modern-day cricketers who have made it a point to play the Indian Premier League (IPL) but are looking for time-offs playing for India. Gavaskar said that he doesn’t agree with this logic and went on to add that no company or corporate will pay their chief executives, directors or managing directors for such extended time offs.
“I don’t agree with this. You won’t take rest during the IPL and then you will take rest from playing for India. I don’t agree with this logic. You have to play for India… don’t talk about rest or whatever. T20I is a matter of 20 overs and it doesn’t take a toll on your body,” Gavaskar told Sports Tak.
“In Test cricket, your body and mind does take a beating, but T20 matches, it’s a matter of 20 overs of batting and 20 overs of fielding, so there is no problem with that. The Indian cricket board should revisit its policy on acceding to the players’ demand for rest,” opined Gavaskar.
“Every A-grade or A+ grade players gets a huge retainer fees from the BCCI. Apart from the contract, players get huge payments for playing matches. Tell me, which company or corporate will pay their chief executives, directors or managing directors for such extended time offs. Is there any company which gives such high salaries for not working?” questioned Gavaskar.
“If Indian cricket has to become professional then they have to draw a line; that is if you want rest, then your guarantees will have to be reduced. How can they say they won’t play for the Indian cricket team? By sitting at home you won’t be able to score runs or take wickets, so better to go out and scroe some runs and take wickets,” the former India captain concluded.
There have been reports of a couple of senior players, including former India skipper Virat Kohli, requesting the BCCI to exclude them from the five-match T20 away series against the West Indies beginning later this month.