‘What is this talk about 20-25 days?’ – Sunil Gavaskar slams Indian Cricket Team ahead of West Indies series

Former Indian Cricketer Sunil Gavaskar slammed the Indian Cricket team ahead of the first Test against West Indies in Dominica. The Indian batting legend isn’t able to understand how the fit players in the team are facing recurrent workload issues in the era of T20 cricket. After a loss in the World Test Championship (WTC), final, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma stated that the ‘lack of preparation was the major reason for India’s loss.

However, Gavaskar doesn’t see the Indian team rectifying their mistakes in the upcoming series against the Windies, which will be held after a one-month break. India are scheduled to play two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is against the hosts. The Test series will start on July 12th, which will also mark the beginning of the WTC cycle 2023-25 for both teams.

“What kind of preparation are we talking about? Now they have gone to the West Indies. You have the example of the World Test Championship before you. Are you playing any matches? So what is this talk about 20-25 days?” Gavaskar told Indian Express.

“When you talk about preparation, be genuine about it. Go 15 days before, play two warm-up matches. The main guys can rest, but the fringe players might be actually challenging those who are not doing well. He does not get an opportunity to show that he is good enough,” he further added.

‘The truth is the main guys do not want to go early’ – Gavaskar

The former cricketer feels that the Indian players don’t wish to go early to such tours as they are assured of their spots in the team. He added that going early is likely to trigger workload chatter in the cricketing fraternity that he finds baffling.

“The truth is the main guys do not want to go early. Because they know that come what may, they will get selected. And when you go early they will talk about the workload. You call yourself the fittest team in the world or fitter than the early generations then how do you break down so soon? How do you have a workload issue when you play a 20-over game?” Gavaskar said.