"This business of India bashing has to be countered with aggression because that’s the only language they understand" - Sunil Gavaskar
Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has called out the agenda by the cricketing world against India and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in the recent past. There have been recurring allegations of India attempting to monopolize and even corrupt the game with its influence.
On several occasions, the apparent 'biased' nature of the Indian crowd, or the rare lack of support by them, has been called out by visiting pundits. Most recently, the 'silent' atmosphere at the Narendra Modi Stadium during the 2023 ODI World Cup final, where India lost to Australia, was criticized.
In response to such claims, Gavaskar opined that the crowd supporting the home side is natural in the sporting world, and added that at least people tend to turn up in India to support their team.
"This home support business is a natural thing, as nobody likes to see their country or country’s player lose, especially in a sporting contest. Yet this support is invariably held against Indian crowds by overseas media and commentators. They quickly forget that even in their own country it is the same, and their crowds are hardly likely to support the opposition," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
He further stated that India should not tolerate such slander, because the ones criticising have no base to stand on themselves.
"So next time, when some commentator or media person from overseas tries to talk about the silence of the Indian crowd when India is not doing well, we should ask them why their supporters haven’t come to cheer for their team. This business of India bashing has to be countered with aggression because that’s the only language they understand," Gavaskar added.
The lack of attendance, particularly in the longest format has been a probing concern for the cricketing boards around the world and the International Cricket Council (ICC). The recently concluded Test series between England and Sri Lanka witnessed empty stands on Day 4 of the second and third Test at Lord's and the Oval respectively.
The turnout for the two-match Test series between South Africa and the West Indies recently was also next to abysmal.
"Please tell us what’s wrong with Test cricket presently when Tendulkar is owning the record" - Sunil Gavaskar
The legendary cricketer cited another example to assert his point over the agenda against Indian cricket. Several are reportedly cherishing the fact that Joe Root is on his way to toppling Sachin Tendulkar as the leading run-scorer in Test cricket, opining that it will be better for world cricket in general, a fact that Gavaskar failed to understand.
"Please tell us what’s wrong with Test cricket presently when Tendulkar is owning the record and how will Test cricket be better if (and that’s a huge if) an Englishman goes on to hold it. In what way will it be better? Kindly enlighten us," Gavaskar wrote in the aforementioned column.
He also proceeded to call out the critics who feel that the BCCI have put Test cricket on the back burner.
"For some strange reason, there’s a perception overseas that BCCI does not like Test cricket. That’s a ridiculous notion, as India play more than half a dozen Test matches every season, be it at home or away. Just because the IPL is massively successful doesn’t mean BCCI is not interested in promoting Test cricket, but that’s the narrative that’s being peddled by the overseas media," the former cricketer concluded.
Team India are set to play 10 Tests in the upcoming months, including a blockbuster five-match series against Australia, which is arguably the biggest attraction in the red-ball circuit.