He is known for not mincing words, and here’s what he said to Rohit Sharma’s team after the latter faced defeat at the hands of Australia: India crushed Australia in the first Test at Perth but looked absolutely shambles against the pink-ball challenge as Australia came back into the contest to make it one-all. The match ended prettily well before the completion of the first three days. Gavaskar therefore called on people such as Rohit, Virat Kohli, and the others to come out and practice, not sit inside their hotel rooms.
Wrapped up in just 7 sessions (2 days and one session), this 5-day Test doesn’t leave room for Gavaskar to allow the players some rest in the next two days in their hotel rooms or wherever else they plan to go. According to the batting great, batters and bowlers should all come out and do net sessions to prepare themselves for the remaining three matches in the series.
“Now take the remaining matches of the series as a three-match series. Forget about the fact that it was a five-Test series. What I would want this Indian team to do is spend those couple of days in practice, which is very important. There’s no point in sitting in your hotel room or wherever because you have come here to play cricket,” said Gavaskar.
“There is no necessity to be busy practicing all day. A session, morning or afternoon, at your choice, should suffice. Don’t waste these days. You would have been here playing a Test match if the Test match were to go on for five days.
Gavaskar did not shy away from calling India rusty in the pink-ball Test and said that as a blunt assessment, the rhythm was not there in either batters or bowlers in Adelaide.
You need that much more time to settle into the rhythm as you have not scored runs. Your bowlers have not got the rhythm either. There are others who require time in the middle,” he added.
“This optional practice session is something I do not believe. The captain and the coach should decide to take optional training. It should be that coach tells: Hit 150, you shouldn’t come to practice. Bowled 40 overs in the match, don’t need to come to practice.” Such things should not be an option. If you give that option to the players, then a lot of them, especially the certainties, will say, ‘No, I am going to stay in my room.’ And that’s not what Indian cricket needs.
This will keep the moral high ground, according to Gavaskar, because he reminded Indian cricketers that playing for the country is indeed an honor and a privilege. Therefore, players should not shy from working hard for the service of the country:
“Indian cricket needs people completely immersed in their cause. It is indeed a privilege and an honor to play for India.
I counted the number of days they are going to be here. It’s been 57 days, in Australia. If you count those out from the 57, subtracting the five of them for matches, you then cut it down to 32 days, including two matches for the PM XI and then into the 30 days they were going to get off. They had one extra day off in Perth, now two for Adelaide.
However, Gavaskar gave the marquee trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli a leeway, saying that they would not have to attend the practice sessions should they choose not to, due to their ‘experience’. However, he wished for the youngsters to get more practice sessions under their belts.
“My request to them is to please come and practice. Again, Bumrah does not have to practice. If Rohit and Virat do not have to practice, that’s fine, because they are experienced players. Let the others come out and practice,” he asserted.
