In their next cricketing assignment, Team India are set to embark on a tour of the West Indies, featuring a packed schedule consisting of two Tests, three One-Day Internationals (ODIs), and five T20 Internationals (T20Is). The tour is slated to commence with a two-match red-ball series on July 12 at Windsor Park in Dominica.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced the Test squad for the Caribbean tour, which caught the attention of cricket enthusiasts due to the notable absences of seasoned players. Cheteshwar Pujara and Umesh Yadav were dropped from the squad, while fast bowler Mohammed Shami was given a well-deserved breather.
The changes in the Test squad sparked discussions among fans and pundits alike. One prominent voice expressing his dissatisfaction with the selection committee’s choices was legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
Gavaskar believed that the West Indies tour presents an ideal opportunity for the selectors to test and groom young cricketers, taking into consideration the next cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC). Though Gavaskar did not specifically name any cricketer, his remarks hinted at the possibility of providing a break to senior players such as captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who have been continuously engaged in cricket since the home series against Australia.
“There was a very good chance to try and look at the next rung of cricketers. Because if there was any tour where you could have made some sort of experiments then it was the West Indies. They are not the same force anymore. Therefore, blooding in the younger players would have been the right way,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying to Sports Today.
The cricketing stalwart opined that the upcoming ODI World Cup holds significant importance, and thus the senior players should be given a respite to solely focus on white-ball cricket. Gavaskar’s comments highlight the need to manage the workload of key players strategically, ensuring their availability and freshness for crucial tournaments.
“The WTC is gone, we missed out there but the next big thing is the ODI World Cup. I would have preferred the big boys to be given a complete break from Test cricket. Look at only the 50-over format and maybe T20s too as it is the abbreviated version. I would have only wanted them to focus on white-ball cricket. They have been playing non-stop cricket since October-November last year. And apart from injury breaks, they have not really got long breaks. So give them a complete break from red-ball cricket. The certainties who would be playing the 50-over World Cup. You have given Shami a break so maybe the others too,” added Gavaskar.
