After a long time Sunil Gavaskar talks some sense!

[Vikas Bhatt]

http://www.rediff.com/cricket/slide-show/slide-show-1-pakistan-tour-india-2012-sunil-gavaskar-imran-khan-blame-indian-premier-league/20130104.htm Wish he hadn't taken leave of his senses when he was working with BCCI to promote IPL. :((

[Vikas Bhatt]

Two legends of world cricket, Sunil Gavaskar and Imran Khan have held IPL responsible for the Indian team's recent downfall, with the former going on to say that for some Indian players national duty comes second to the cash-rich Twenty20 league. Without naming anyone, Gavaskar questioned some Indian players' complete focus on IPL. "If you look at the events that took place immediately after the 2011 World Cup, you will know the guys who actually took their places for granted, those who did not make themselves available and preferred to play in the IPL and then go for surgeries," Gavaskar said. "I think those are the guys who instead of looking at India were looking at contributing for their IPL franchises. If at all you need to take a rest, you need to take a rest from club matches," he told NDTV, when asked about India's ODI series loss to Pakistan. Gavaskar also blamed the team's batting department for India's shoddy performance as the hosts gave Pakistan an unassailable 0-2 lead in the three-ODI series at the Eden Gardens on Thursday. "It's the batsmen, they are the ones who are known much more than bowlers (in India). "They are the ones who are responsible. Indian batsmen are terribly out of form since 2011 World Cup. They have struck form sporadically," he said. Gavaskar's views were supported by Imran, who too feels that IPL has a big role to play in Indian cricket team's decline in the past one year. "Unless Indian cricket deals with IPL, unless you work out a balance between Test cricket and Twenty20 cricket and the commercial aspect of IPL, Indian cricket will go down rapidly," the former Pakistan skipper warned.

[Vikas Bhatt]

This has also been my bone of contention last 3 years. Are there still idiots here who think IPL has nothing to do with India's sharp fall? That there is no co-relation and that IPL is good for our cricket?

[Number]

"If you look at the events that took place immediately after the 2011 World Cup, you will know the guys who actually took their places for granted, those who did not make themselves available and preferred to play in the IPL and then go for surgeries," Gavaskar said. Sehwag and Gambhir are gone.

[suraj]

Sunny still looks good!! On topic the players are making so much money in IPL that everyone can comment & criticize but they won't care- we need more like Virat who actually give a damn

[Vikas Bhatt]

"If you look at the events that took place immediately after the 2011 World Cup' date= you will know the guys who actually took their places for granted, those who did not make themselves available and preferred to play in the IPL and then go for surgeries," Gavaskar said. Sehwag and Gambhir are gone.

It was the whole WC squad literally. SRT [skipped WI tests. So much for loving test cricket], Yuvraj, Shitwag, Ghati, Zaheer, Bhajji, almost everybody. Zaheer and Yuvi were not available for national duty later. But played half IPLs till injury forced them to quit or start late in that edition. Dhobi who complained of excessive cricket never skipped IPL to rest but skipped Sri Lanka tests or the same. Zaheer's fall in grace and team started with this IPL after WC when he exaggerated his fitness instead of recovering and being fit. He hasn't hit peak fitness since. They are in the same boat of greed! Ishant may be crap right now but I appreciate he skipped IPL to be fit for India this season than risk bigger injury. At least his priorities are right!

[Vikas Bhatt]

Coming to SG, he parted ways with IPL after a monetary dispute. He claimed BCCI owes him more money than they paid him as a paid consultant, while BCCI claimed he was in an honorary position, not contracted position. His new found wisdom has more to do with that dispute than anything else. You know the BCCI is *****ed when even Sunil Gavaskar has a pay dispute with them. :hysterical:

[saneindian]

Gavaskar is in dispute with BCCI? yeah there was a problem but since then it has been sorted. If there were issues, why would he continue to commentate on Star Cricket where the commies are chosen by the BCCI or in the IPL or Cl T20? Also, recently he was among those ex players who were awarded for their services, think Gavaskar received the fattest cheque of 1.5 crores

[Vikas Bhatt]

He thought that 1.5 crores were not he one 'agreed upon verbally', Star Cricket is not BCCI. His commentary obligations with news channels, are his main bread and butter now. As much as BCCI would like they can't 'ignore' Gavaskar when they facilitate ex-skippers without media kicking them. Recently even Kapil Dev was honored after he quit ICL. These are separate issues.

[saneindian]

BCCI manages the productions and picks the commentators for these matches, has been doing it for quite sometime. And no 1.5 cr was not the money BCCI paid to Gavaskar in lieu of the demand of nearly a million dollars he had made for his IPL related services, he got that 1.5 cr for playing over 100 tests when the BCCI rewarded all ex-cricketers.

[game_changerr]

chalo,der aaye durust aaye par shukr hai aaye toh sahi