India batting legend Sunil Gavaskar slammed the team management for holding an optional practice session two days before their T20 World Cup 2022 opening match against rivals Pakistan in MCG on October 23.
Gavaskar questioned why India opted for an optional training session on Friday, knowing the forecast for rain on Saturday and Sunday in Melbourne. Instead, he felt that the Indian team should’ve made a statement by holding a full-fledged training session instead of opting for optional practice.
On the other hand, the Pakistan team had a full training session on Friday.
India captain Rohit Sharma led the optional training session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday. While Rohit batted in the nets, taking throwdowns that simulated left-arm pacer. Rohit was joined by the likes of Dinesh Karthik, Deepak Hooda, Akshar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammad Shami at the net session in Melbourne.
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"I don’t know what it tells you but it’s something that I don’t agree with. I don’t agree with it for the simple reason that, at the start of the tournament, when you had your match (warm-up match) washed out, when you have come to Melbourne and had a day off, and then the next day, you opt not to practice?" Gavaskar told India Today.
"At the end of the day, those who didn’t come out for practice can turn out to be match-winners. But you want a rhythm going as a team. You want to see a sense of purpose. Giving an option is something I believe only the captain and the coach should be doing. Say, if you scored a hundred in the previous game and you have a small niggle, the captain and the coach can give you the option of not practicing and say ‘if you don’t want to come to practice, it’s fine’. Similarly with a bowler, who has bowled maybe 20-30 overs and feeling a sore shoulder or something, then the captain and the coach can give that bowler the option of not coming for training,” he added.
Gavaskar felt that optional training sessions should only happen when the team gets some momentum in the tournament, not at the start of the tournament.
"Giving the option to the players is a no-no. There never ever should be that option. Only the captain and the coach should be taking that call. How many times it has affected Indian cricket is unbelievable. At the start of the tournament? In the middle of the tournament, you are on a roll, you have done really well, you give everybody a break. You go to a cinema, go wherever to take their mind off cricket. But at the start of the tournament, optional practice?
"Maybe on the eve of the match, they might all turn up (for practice). But that’s not it. I want to show that solidarity of purpose ‘look we want to win. Tomorrow if it rains, what happens? Your practice is gone," Gavaskar added.
India had only one official warm-up match which they won against Australia at the Gabba on October 17 ahead of the World Cup Super 12. Their second warmup against New Zealand was washed out without a ball being bowled due to rain in Brisbane on October 19.
Indian players had landed in Perth on October 6 and had preparatory camps and played two practice games against Western Australia XI.
(India Today inputs)
