Former Indian cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar has spoken out against the “star culture” in the Indian cricket team. His comments came after India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series to Australia by 1-3. Australia won the last match by six wickets, marking their first victory in this series in ten years.
Gavaskar pointed out that during the series, only Jasprit Bumrah seemed to step up when the team needed help. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli didn’t perform well, raising questions about their future in the team. Rohit Sharma didn’t play in the last match and Bumrah captained instead. Although Kohli scored a century in Perth, he struggled and scored less than 200 runs in the entire series against Australia.
Gavaskar believes the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should stop supporting players who aren’t fully committed to Indian cricket. He stated, “The next 8-10 days are important for Indian cricket. We need to stop the star culture. Players should always be available for the team unless they have a real medical reason. If a player isn’t fully committed, they shouldn’t be picked.”
He emphasized that Indian cricket should come first, and the board should stop pampering players. Because of the recent losses, India has failed to qualify for the World Test Championship final for the first time. That final match will take place between Australia and South Africa from June 11-16.
Gavaskar concluded, “We don’t need players who are only partly committed. It’s time to stop pampering them. The cricket board needs to put its foot down and make it clear that Indian cricket comes first.”
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