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'Truth Is That…' - Sunil Gavaskar Slams Rohit Sharma For 'Lack Of Preparation'

image-lk6t8xl0Sunil Gavaskar slams Rohit Sharma for his 'insufficient practice' remarks | Source: Twitter 

Following the conclusion of the 2023 season of the Indian Premier League, Team India experienced a heart-wrenching defeat against Australia in the World Test Championship 2023 Final. This loss marked the second consecutive WTC final defeat for the Asian giants. 

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, put forth the argument that offering the players a preparation window of at least 20 or 25 days ahead of the mega event would have been ideal for preparing for such a big game. 

Notably, the Indian team made their way to England in three separate batches, based on their involvement in IPL 2023. The players whose teams exited the IPL earlier were the first to embark on the journey, whereas those from the finalist and winning teams travelled to England in the final batch. 

The former India captain, Sunil Gavaskar, has openly condemned Rohit Sharma's remarks regarding 'insufficient preparation' for the WTC final, stating that senior players often choose not to travel early for preparations as they know there’s no threat to their spot in the team. 


Here’s what Sunil Gavaskar told The Indian Express:

"What kind of preparation are we talking about? Now they have gone to the West Indies. You have the example of the World Test Championship before you. Are you playing any matches? So, what is this talk about 20-25 days?"


"The team that the West Indies is today, you can go one day before the Test match and still beat them. But that should not blind us to the fact that when you talk about preparation, be genuine about it. Go 15 days before, play two warm-up matches. The main guys can rest, but the guys in the reserve, the fringe players, might be actually challenging some of the guys who are not doing well. He does not get an opportunity to show that he is good enough."


How do you break down so soon? - Gavaskar questions ‘fittest’ team India

Gavaskar further highlighted the recurring issue of injuries among Indian players, conceding that it has gradually taken a toll on the team's overall performance across formats. 

Notably, several Indian players have been suffering repeated injuries just ahead of big tournaments, and this has had a lasting negative effect on the team's performance. 

"You call yourself the fittest team in the world or fitter than the earlier generations, then how do you break down so soon? How do you have a workload issue when you play a 20-overs game?” 

Currently, players like Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer are at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) undergoing rehabilitation to get fit for the ODI World Cup 2023, which is set to be played from October 5 in India.