Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has expressed his reservations at players taking regular breaks from international duty. In fact, it has become a fairly common trend in Indian cricket in recent times.

With the cricketing calendars more cramped than ever, senior players often get a break to manage their workloads. The likes of skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul were rested for India’s tour of New Zealand that took place right after the T20 World Cup 2022.

With less than 12 months to for the ODI World Cup, Gavaskar wants the core of the Indian team to get as much game time as possible.

“I hope there is not too much chopping and changing. I also hope there is not too much of giving a break now. Then the combination takes a long time to gel when you come into the World Cup. And then in World Cup, there is no matches where you can afford to lose,” Gavaskar said, as quoted by Hindustan Times.

“So it is very important that the core plays all matches. Yes there will be an odd player coming in somewhere when you need an extra bowler or a batter. But the core has to play every single one-day game. No rest. You are playing for India. No rest. You want to win the World Cup. And for that, you need that combination to be absolutely gelling every single game,” he added.

Team India are currently playing a three-match ODI series in Bangladesh. For the 50-over series, Rohit, Kohli and Rahul have returned to the team.

While the Men in Blue have lost the first ODI by one wicket, the second and third games are due to be held in Dhaka and Chattogram on December 7 and December 10, respectively.