With India’s Asia Cup squad announced a couple of weeks back, the cricketing world has been busy dissecting the pros and cons of the aforementioned team and giving their predictions on who they think will make their way into the playing XI. Pundits, both Indians as well as foreign, have also given their two pence about the exclusions of players like Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
However, Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar is not a big fan of former pundits from other countries commenting on Indian matters. According to Gavaskar, the selection of the Indian team is no one’s business but India’s.
“What is baffling, though, is that foreigners with no stake in Indian cricket and little knowledge about it wade into the debate, adding fuel to the fire. However great they may be as players and however many times they may have been to India, the selection of the Indian team is strictly none of their business. They should focus on their country’s cricket and let us Indians worry about our cricket. Amazingly, when their country’s teams are selected, there’s hardly anything, if ever, heard from them about the selection. It’s almost as if the selection is perfect and they have no comments to make. So why butt your nose into the selection of the Indian team? Have you ever heard Indian ex-cricketers talk about the selection of other countries’ teams? No, we mind our own business and seriously couldn’t be bothered by who they choose or who they don’t select,” Gavaskar wrote on his column on Sportstar.
All for numbers and views
The former India batter also opined that these critics only comment on India in order to gain more followers on social media, adding that whenever they post anything negative about these Indian players, their fans would come and defend them which leads to the increase in views of the person who has made the post.
“Today, in the days of public media, where getting views and followers is the theme, one of the fastest ways to increase the numbers is by commenting on matters Indian. And mostly, they do it negatively, so there is a huge reaction from Indian keyboard users, which in turn boosts their follower count. If you have a thick skin, then all the better. That’s why so many overseas cricketers have made a living by needling the Indian cricket lovers with their mostly negative comments about Indian cricket and cricketers,” he said.
‘Indian media is also responsible’
He also criticized the Indian media for chasing after these foreign pundits in order to get a byte.
“To an extent, the Indian media is also responsible, as they go to overseas cricketers and ask them about Indian cricket. How often, on overseas tours, do we see members of the Indian media chasing former players from the host country — players whom even their own nation has almost forgotten — for an interview? It’s almost as if validation about Indian cricket and its cricketers has to be obtained from overseas players,” he added.
