Batting great Sunil Gavaskar has reacted to Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s comments about not playing practice games ahead of the Test series against South Africa. The former Indian captain said the team should play against national champions and A teams that will help them.
India suffered a terrible defeat in the first Test against South Africa. They were on the receiving end of an innings, 32-run thrashing of Centurion and looked clueless with bat and ball in the game, which ended in just three days.
After the match, captain Rohit Sharma spoke in the press conference and was asked the reason for India’s defeat. He was asked why the team’s regular players were not participating in FC matches to prepare for the Test series.
Responding to this, Rohit Sharma mentioned that they didn’t get the kind of pitches they wanted. He revealed that the pitches in those practice games are totally different from those in real games. And on top of that, the quality of the bowling isn’t that good either, which is why they didn’t play the practice game.
Sunil Gavaskar was on the same page as Rohit Sharma and suggested that the Indian team play against national champions. He believes that such players would be eager to impress the selectors and hence the Indian team can get the best competition. Speaking to Star Sports, he explained:
“Look, this could be the case, I don’t know. I just want to say that if you can play against A teams or against the national champions of the touring country, their players will be looking to impress their selectors. So they will give it their all, whether it is a fast bowler or a batsman.”
Sunil Gavaskar further added that Indian players should ask the BCCI to organize matches against A teams or national champions on tours. He added:
“When you plan your preparation for tours abroad, you should talk to the local management and ask them to play against A teams or national champions. By doing so, you have a good chance of acquiring good practices.”
IND vs SA: Playing matches between teams makes no sense – Sunil Gavaskar
Instead of playing the practice game, India played intra-team games to prepare for the Test series against South Africa. Sunil Gavaskar, however, lashed out at the team for this idea and said that these games are meaningless.
Batting great added that in intra-team games, pacers do not give their 100% due to the risk of injury. He believes it is necessary to resolve this long-standing problem. He had explained:
“Playing matches between teams makes no sense. It is better for you to spend time at home and come here directly. Because? Your fast bowlers may not want to give their 100 per cent in intra-team matches because there are chances of injuries, for example, if a fast bowler bowls a bouncer at the batsmen.
“It is not a recent phenomenon. It has also happened in our time. The problem comes from the difference in conditions. “You have to get used to these conditions, you have to play practice matches for it.”
India will now look to make a comeback in the second Test against South Africa. The match will take place in Cape Town from January 3.
