Sunil Gavaskar was critical of remarks made by Ravi Shastri, who on Wednesday claimed that the current Indian squad is the best touring squad in the last 15-20 years. (Source: PTI)
A day after Ravi Shastri claimed that the current Indian team is the best touring squad in the last 15-20 years, former captain Sunil Gavaskar on Thursday said that most of the victories in the recent years have come in Sri Lanka and not in England or South Africa.
Ravi Shastri while addressing the media on Wednesday said, “I can’t see any other Indian team in the last 15-20 years that has had the same run in such a short time, and you have had some great players playing in those series. So the promise is there, and it’s just about getting tougher mentally. You have got to hurt when you lose matches because that’s when you look within and come out with the right kind of answers to combat such situations and get past the finishing line. One day you will if you believe.”
ALSO READ | No other Indian team in last 15-20 years has had the same run in such a short time: Ravi Shastri
Responding to the statement, Gavaskar said teams in 1980s had won matches in England and West Indies. “In Sri Lanka, not too many Indian captains and teams have won. West Indies, England and South Africa, previous teams have won matches in the last 15-20 years. I think this was his [Ravi Shastri] view and perhaps only he can speak about it. What I can say is teams in 1980s have won in England and West Indies,” Gavaskar said while speaking with India Today on Thursday.
Gavaskar also said that despite giving India its first victory over South Africa, a series win over West Indies in 2005 and winning Test matches on English soil in 2007, Rahul Dravid gets very little credit for his leadership and his team’s performance. Continuing the attack on Shastri, the former Indian captain said, “I will not discount wins in Sri Lanka because they are tough to beat at home but when we talk of wins, it is in England, South Africa and Australia and India have won in England before but have never won a series in South Africa and Australia.”
Taking a dig at India’s failure at South Africa, earlier this year in January and now in England, Gavaskar asserted that the current squad has failed to live up to its potential. He believes that an overall assement on the team should be done based on individual performances and where the management went wrong. “I think that’s something [performance failure] that needs to be looked at by the end of the series. During the series, I understand the management saying that the team is still very good, which is to keep the morale up. There is still one Test to go. A real assessment has to be made on September 12, when the series ends,” he added.
Blaming the smaller version of the game as the reason behind the poor show by the Indian batsmen, especially the openers, Gavaskar said, “Too much of one-day cricket means people can play through the line but with the kind of movement red ball generates, it is not possible. To play spin bowling, you need to use your feet and the lack of footwork has not helped this team.”
The former batting maestro also mentioned that Prithvi Shaw should be a part of India’s playing XI as an opener for the fifth and final Test at Oval against England, which starts from Friday. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to blood Prithvi Shaw. I would look at him and Karun Nair if you want to go with an extra batsman. If you want to keep the same balance, then Ravindra Jadeja might get a look because I don’t know if Ravichandran Ashwin is fit to bowl,” Gavaskar said.
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