Sunil Gavaskar slams organisers for not rewarding Indian team after ODI series triumph
India created history in Australia by winning both Test and ODI series 2-1. In the three-match ODI series, they overcame a loss at Sydney with victories at Adelaide and Melbourne. The visitors rode on splendid performances from leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni to clinch the decider by seven wickets.
At the MCG, Chahal recorded the joint-best ever bowling figures (6/42) by an Indian bowler on Australian soil. He equalled the memorable spell bowled by Ajit Agarkar in 2004. The leg-spinner was named Player of the Match for his game-changing spell.
Dhoni scored an unbeaten 87 to help India chase down 231. He was named Player of the Series for scoring three successive fifties.
The Indian Team received appreciation all around the cricketing world while the Australian side was slammed for their poor performances.
Former Indian captain and all-time great Sunil Gavaskar had another reason to criticize Cricket Australia (CA) as they didn't reward the players who won post-match awards in the ODI series. e such a major victory. He cited an example from Tennis and used the Wimbledon Grand Slam event as an example in this context.
“What is USD 500 and it’s a pity that the team has received just a trophy. The organisers earn huge amount of money through the broadcast rights. So, why can’t they give good prize money to the players? After all, players are the sole reason for this much popularity of the sport and hence, they get such huge money (from sponsors)", Gavaskar said on Sony Six.
He went on to add, “Look at the prize money being given away at the Wimbledon Grand Slam event which is simply phenomenal. The players are the key in generating money, so this must be realised by the broadcasters and as a result, the players must be rewarded handsomely.”
The players have donated their prize money obtained during this series to charity. On the other hand, the 2018 Wimbledon Championships saw players gaining close to INR 36 lakh even after exiting the first round.