Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary Indian cricketer, has called for non-contracted Indian players to play domestic cricket, as he argued that the Indian cricket team is a byproduct of Indian cricket. He stated that the absence of several international players from the Ranji Trophy has made it hard to evaluate the “true capability” of emerging cricketers.
"The Indian cricket team is not Indian cricket. The Indian cricket team is a by-product of Indian cricket. So, for the by-product of Indian cricket to be good, Indian cricket has to be strong. When it is the Ranji Trophy season, your contracted players—the 14-15 players you have for Tests and ODIs—need not play. I can understand that. But all the others should be available,” Gavaskar said in a virtual interaction organized by Sony Sports Network on Saturday.
Gavaskar further showed concern about India’s jam-packed schedule, as he suggested that India’s three-match ODI series in January could’ve been avoided. This could’ve meant more rest and time for several India players to prepare for the important five-Test series at home against Australia.
“I know the Indian team has got plenty of talent, and we can say that we’ll give the seniors a rest and have the others playing. But that is not what you want. You do not want to give away Test caps because you want to rest a senior. If there is an injury, that’s another matter. But in the last season and maybe the previous season, too many caps have been given. As a former cricketer, I just find that a little bit hard to accept,” he added.
The former India captain said he believes “a minimum of three Tests” in a series is “what is needed for Test cricket.”
Gavaskar also talked about the Indian Test team ahead of the New Zealand series and backed Devdutt Padikkal to retain the No. 3 spot in the India XI over Sai Sudharsan. Padikkal had replaced Sudharsan in the Indian team during the Sri Lanka Tests and scored two centuries in two games.
“The later you play, the better your chances of scoring runs as well as defending a good ball. Don’t push at the ball. Play with soft hands when you are defending,” he said.
