‘You don’t take rest during IPL but rest while playing for India’ – Sunil Gavaskar slams senior players

Resting senior players frequently has become a bit of a trend in international cricket these days. 

With the young players waiting in the wings, the BCCI have taken this opportunity to nurture and mould new talent. But there is always a downside to any new approach, and the senior players are missing out on continuity.

Indian cricketing legend and commentator Sunil Gavaskar has had his say on this current policy by the team management.

"See I do not agree with players resting (during India matches). Not at all. You are playing for India. You don't take rest during the IPL but rest while playing for India. I don't agree with it. You will have to play for India. Don't talk about rest. There are only 20 overs in an innings in T20. That does not take any toll on your body. In Test matches, the mind and the body take a toll, but in T20 cricket, there is not much of a problem (in playing)," Gavaskar said on Sports Tak

With big-time players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma finding it hard to score recently, all fingers point toward the regular breaks provided to senior players. 

Even though breaks are necessary, as players require some time off from the game, the real problem lies in the frequency of these breaks.

Virat Kohli, who hasn't scored a century since November 2019, is still struggling with match time. During this period, he has been rested on multiple occasions, as it has become a rare sight to see the ex-skipper playing five matches on a trot. It is a similar scenario with Rohit Sharma, who hasn't had continuous match time either.

With the two-team approach implemented frequently, senior players are given frequent breaks. However, BCCI announced the ODI squad against West Indies amid the furore, resting Sharma, Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. 

"What is with all the rest? How much rest do you want? Earlier, when a player used to be out of form, he used to be dropped and picked again only when he scored runs in domestic cricket. But now whenever someone is out of form, he rests. Are you guys not worried about it?" Chopra said on his YouTube channel    

Earlier this year, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara were dropped from the Test squad due to their poor form and were asked to prove their worth in the domestic circuit. This decision seemed much more logical, as it was with many players in the past. 

At one point in his career, current BCCI president Saurav Ganguly also had to go back to playing domestic cricket to find his way back into the national side. However, nowadays, we rarely see this approach being adopted by modern players.

India's performance in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 was a clear end-product of not creating a stable and disciplined squad. India's squad for the World Cup lacked clarity and chemistry as a team. Even with big players in the squad, the team showcased uncharacteristic performances.

With the T20 World Cup just around the corner, it is high time for the management to bring stability back into the national side. Gavaskar has urged the BCCI to reconsider its current policy. 

"I honestly feel that the BCCI needs to look into this concept of rest. All the Grade A cricketers have received very good contracts. They receive payment for every match. Tell me if there is any company whose CEO, or MDs get so much time off? I feel that if Indian cricket is to become more professional, a line needs to be drawn. If you want to be rested, you need to reduce your guarantees. Then you take rest because you don't want to play. But how can anyone say that I don't want to play for the Indian team? Which is why I do not agree with the concept," he added.