WE NEED PLAYERS LIKE JAISWAL AND REDDY WHO ARE HUNGRY TO EARN A NAME FOR INDIA: SUNIL GAVASKAR

Sunil Gavaskar.

Khel Today Bureau

New Delhi: India’s six wicket defeat in the final Test match against Australia and their inability to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy prompted former cricketing legends Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan to critically assess the team’s performance, with a strong focus on India’s batting shortcomings.

Speaking exclusively on Star Sports, Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar shared his thoughts on what India can do after their poor performance in Test matches over the last few months. He said, “What I saw were technical deficiencies. If you have been making the same mistakes, and I am not just talking about this series—I am talking about the New Zealand series as well—what did you do against New Zealand in India? And that’s why, now, because the next cycle will start in June, we have not qualified for the World Test Championship. From now on, we should be ready for it. If we have to take tough decisions, then we will have to take them.

Today is January 5. On January 23, there is the next round of the Ranji Trophy. Let’s see how many players from this squad play. Let’s see how many people are available. And there should be no excuse for not being able to play. If you do not play those matches, then I say that Gautam Gambhir will have to take a few tough decisions against those who are not available for the Ranji Trophy, saying, ‘You do not have that commitment. We need commitment. You are not playing. Whatever you want to do, do it. But for Indian cricket, you cannot return to the Test squad.’”

Further addressing the poor performance of the Indian batting order, Gavaskar highlighted:

“How many Indian players have scored centuries? Except for the first Test match with two centuries, there is only the century of Nitish Kumar Reddy. How many players made half-centuries? You can say it is not easy to make a century, but how many players made half-centuries and tried to turn the match? It did not happen because the application that is required in Test cricket—the application and determination—was very low.”

Speaking on Indian youngsters Nitish Kumar Reddy and Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gavaskar added:

“If we talk about the macro picture, like we saw with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Yashasvi Jaiswal—they are hungry. They are hungry to earn a name for India. They are hungry to earn a name for themselves. Such players are needed. You need such players who will protect their wicket like their life. You need such players. You can play with them on stroke. But the commitment I want to see. That’s why I’m interested that on January 23, in the Ranji Trophy matches, who will play? I want to see that. Because at that time, there will be T20 matches against England. But those who are not playing T20, will they play Ranji Trophy matches or not?”

Irfan Pathan.

Speaking exclusively on Star Sports, former India pacer Irfan Pathan shared his views on Virat Kohli’s poor performance. He said:

“Many players had the opportunity to play domestic cricket, but they did not play. Why is that happening? Because the culture has changed. We have to change the culture. We have to improve things for Indian cricket as a team. Tell me, when was the last time Virat Kohli played domestic cricket? When did it happen? Even the great Sachin Tendulkar played Ranji Trophy even when it wasn’t required of him, only because he wanted to spend that much time—four or five days—on the pitch. For the Indian team in 2024, in the first innings where you basically set up the match, Virat Kohli’s average is 15. And if you consider his average over the last five years, it’s not even 30. Does the Indian team deserve its senior player? Instead, give a youngster a chance. Tell him to get ready. He will also give an average of 25–30. This is about the team, not the individuals. When we talk about Virat Kohli, he has done a lot for India. He has delivered many performances. But you are getting out from the same mistake again and again. You are not creating a gap between two mistakes. You are not trying to fix the technical mistake. Sunny Sir is in the field. How long does it take to talk to Sunny Sir or someone?”