Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has come down heavily on the lack of flexibility shown by Indian thinktank while selecting the playing elevens on the country’s tour of New Zealand, where the world champions have been hammered 4-0 in the five-match ODI leg.
Writing in his column for a national daily, Gavaskar questioned the management’s faith in reserve players, blaming the team for becoming “a bit of a club where outsiders are not welcome”.
“By sticking to those who have failed, the impression given is that there is no faith in reserve players,” Gavaskar wrote. “Indian cricket history is littered with examples of teams in the past tending to become a bit of a club where outsiders are not welcome,” he said, blaming the tourists for giving non-performers an extended run in the eleven.
Not giving reserve players a chance, Gavaskar said, allows complacency to creep into those who are playing regularly without performing up to the standards a national team demands. “The lack of faith in the reserve players also means that regulars know that despite their failures, they would get yet another chance.”
“Playing and winning together does give a certain sense of comfort with each other, but like everything in life, there is need to regenerate and fine-tune to get better,” the legendary batsman said.
“The quicker it is done, the better for Indian cricket,” Gavaskar signed off.
