Asia Cup 2022: "Nobody is going to come out and say, 'I think this captain is rubbish'" - Sunil Gavaskar feels Virat Kohli's comments on Rohit Sharma aside are sugarcoated
Sunil Gavaskar is taking Virat Kohli's praise for Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid with a pinch of salt. He described it as "a fact of life", no current player would ever speak against his or her captain and coach, which made Kohli's words "expected."
After India's defeat to Pakistan in the 2022 Asia Cup on Sunday, September 4, Kohli spoke openly about the team environment. He praised Rohit and Dravid for curating an atmosphere "where everyone still wants to get another opportunity" in the team.
Gavaskar, however, said such praises are an indictment of the former coach-captain duo. He added that no player speaks honestly about the current leadership until their job and career depend on it, which is why he simply "brushes aside" these comments. Gavaskar told India Today:
"You hear these kinds of things just about every time. I think it's something which is expected. Like for now, people in England are saying how relaxed they are under ... Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, how they are free to play. [It] is actually an indictment of the previous thing, in a way, suggesting that the previous regime wasn't all that good."
"We've heard similarly from Indian players, on how they feel just now in the current situation. But having said that, you tell me which player will honestly tell you how they feel when they are playing somebody. Nobody. English player, Australian player, nobody is going to come out and say, 'This is how I actually feel', 'I think this captain is rubbish', 'I think this coach is rubbish.' Which current player is going to say that?"
Gavaskar added:
"They are all going to sing praises of the current leadership. This is a fact of life, not just in cricket, but in any walk of your life that you are going to accept the current leadership because you know your job and career depend on it.
"So when all these comments come, I just brush these comments aside, knowing that it's the current situation that the comment is coming along."
💬💬 "We have a healthy team environment and I'd like to give credit to the Captain and team management for the same," @imVkohli on the team morale 👍
#AsiaCup2022 https://t.co/nvJ3jA3kNs
Kohli was Rohit's captaincy predecessor in all three formats. He left the T20I leadership after the 2021 World Cup in November and was sacked from the ODI captaincy the following month. The star batter then stepped down from the Test captaincy in January 2022.
"It's a futile question" - Sunil Gavaskar slams diplomacy in IPL questions
That's that from another close game against Pakistan.
Pakistan win by 5 wickets.
Up next, #TeamIndia play Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
Scorecard - bit.ly/AsiaCup2022-IN… #INDvPAK #AsiaCup2022 https://t.co/Ou1n4rJxHu
Gavaskar also fumed at similar "futile" questions asked during post-match interviews in the IPL about a player's thoughts on his captain and coach. He said:
"One of the most futile questions that I hear during an IPL question-answer session that goes on between the commentators and the Man of the Match, or whatever it is, [is] asking about the current coach or captain, 'How do you feel?'.
"Is that current player, who's got the Man of the Match performance, ever going to say that 'this captain is not good' or that 'this coach is not good.' No! It's a futile question because nobody, mindful of his career, is going to try and cut his own feet by trying to say something stupid about the current regime."
India will take on Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup on Tuesday, September 6, starting at 7:30 pm IST in Dubai.
Stay tuned for the latest Asia Cup 2022 live score and news updates on Sportskeeda.