Former India captain and the recipient of BCCI’s one time benefit payment, Sunil Gavaskar has heavily criticized the BCCI’s decision to host Pakistan for a series of ODIs and T20 matches to be scheduled during the lunch, tea and drinks breaks during the India v England Test matches just before Christmas, later this year.
Following his criticism, there is general anticipation among experts that Sunil Gavaskar will be asked to return his benefit payment and will be offered no amnesty whatsoever.
Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar has announced that “no one can tell me what to do during lunch breaks” and has made himself unavailable for the games to “extend his career”
Harsha Bhogle, BCCI’s cheerleader-in-chief has applauded BCCI’s business acumen in drawing crowds to Test matches. Even if 5% of the crowd linger after the ODI and T20 action is over at the end of each lunch interval…”That’s 5-10 thousand people more that would watch Test cricket; even if unintentionally”.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni known for his balanced responses to the media, said that he would rather spend the time for breaks in the dressing room or his hotel room. However since that is unlikely to be supported by the BCCI, he will have to retire from Test cricket at the end of this year to sustain his body to the rigors of BCCI scheduling.
The British press had a field day being both appalled and humored by the arrangement of a series during breaks. Predictably, Ravi Shastri said that the English are jealous of India , the IPL and India
Meanwhile the Bangladesh Cricket Board is in talks with the BCCI to hold a T20 only series with India during strategic breaks of the T20 matches between India and Pakistan
2 comments:
You have to give it to Gavaskar for being consistent when it comes to being prickly. Whether it's the MCC membership issue or Indo-Pak cricket or Indo-Aus sledging, when Gavaskar doesn't like it, he doesn't like it... :-)
I used to love Gavaskar the batsman, but I always believed the he was peevish and petty, incapable of taking the high road. But somehow in this case, he seems to have a valid point.
What's changed and what's the hurry? The ban was stupid to begin with. But if it was intended to make a statement, then has it been made? Has anything been achieved?
BCCI continues to be super stupid despite having India's best industrialists and politicians......now wait, it was these guys fathers and grand-fathers who were the entreprenuers....not them...
in addition to what you said what irks me is the ODI and T20 only tours. This season India will be playing both SL and Pak from Asia and no tests are scheduled....
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