Cricket boards will think many times before scheduling series with West Indies - Sunil Gavaskar after pull out
Former Indian opener and reknowned commentator Sunil Gavaskar feels that the West Indies cricket could suffer after the team’s unprecedented pull out mid way though the Indian tour. Speaking after the players made their decision not to take any further part in the tour owing to salary-related issues with the WICB, Gavaskar said the cricket playing nations will now think twice before playing the Caribbean side.
"What has happened [the pullout] is unprecedented. It's not something that happens everyday. I think it is going to be a difficult issue to address for cricketing community. The dispute between West Indies players and its board is an ongoing one and hasn't been solved. So, a lot of cricket boards will think many times before scheduling a series with the West Indian side," Gavaskar told NDTV.
Dwayne Bravo’s men showed no signs of intent in the 4th ODI as evident from many dropped catches that could have turned the game on its head. Add to that the batsman failed one after the other and there was no one but Marlon Samuels who put out a single-handed fightback with his century.
"West Indies are in no mood to play. When the mind refuses to do anything, it becomes difficult to perform. West Indian approach and attitude were unprofessional," said Gavaskar while doing Hindi commentaries for the Dharamsala ODI.
The 65-year-old also was disheartened by the fact that the people of Dharamsala failed to witness an equal contest.
"Dharamsala is a place which doesn't get matches regularly so it was unfortunate that the fans didn't get to witness a competitive game. If the West Indies were totally committed and focused, it may have been a totally different game."
West Indian players might still play in IPL
The former player added that the players’ pull-out might create a significant negative impact towards their participation for the lucrative Indian Premier League. Eventhough there were talks of suspending the Caribbean players from the tournament, Gavaskar says things might fall back in place before the next edition of the IPL.
"The dramatic end to the series may change the way West Indies players' participation in the IPL is looked at. IPL is six to eight months away so things could change by then. The West Indian cricketers are loved all over the world and they have contributed brilliantly to their franchises. It will be very tough for the franchises to take it out on the West Indies players," he said.