While taking a trip down memory lane during the inaugural Dilip Sardesai lecture on Thursday, Sunil Gavaskar touched upon some contemporary issues that the game is grappling with.
Speaking about the influence the late Sardesai had on him during his playing days, Gavaskar stressed that there was a urgent need to mentor present-day cricketers, particularly in the highly lucrative age of Twenty20. Sardesai had helped a young Gavaskar demystify the West Indian quicks during the historic 1971 tour, and the former India captain said today's cricketers needed advice to deal with the opportunities that offered them quick money.
"Players in the age group of 19-22 are going the wrong way. Younger players get carried away by fame, publicity and success," he said. A member of the IPL governing council, Gavaskar said he was wary of the impact big contracts could have on the minds of teenaged cricketer. "The worrying factor is far too many youngsters see the IPL as the be all and end all. This should not be the case since their ultimate goal should be earning the India cap," he said.
There could come a stage, he warned, when players would give more importance to the IPL than playing for their state sides. "A lot of players miss out on domestic cricket before the IPL to avoid injuries. That is what we have to be very, very careful about."
Changing behaviour
Another aspect of modern cricket that Gavaskar said needed to change was the changing on-field behaviour of players, expressing his reservations about the way several international cricketers celebrated their milestones.
"At times, players use abusive language when they should be acknowledging the applause of the crowd and their team mates. These days, because of the replays, it is very easy to lip-read what they are saying," he said, and held up the examples of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid as what should be done. "They may not always be smiling after scoring a century because of tiredness, but they always acknowledge the almighty, their team mates and the crowd; they're not abusive."
But the 59-year-old former batsman ruled out coach Gary Kirsten's assessment that IPL-induced fatigue was a reason for Team India's early exit from the World T20 in England. "We were outplayed at the tournament," he said.
When asked about the Indian batsmen's problem with the short ball, he said that it wasn't a cause of worry. "India went to West Indies after playing a format where one doesn't get too many short ball. T20 is mostly played on the front foot, so they took time adjusting," he said. India had been peppered with short bowling in the World T20 as well, particularly by West Indies and England in their all-important Super Eights matches.
