Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has reacted to Rohit Sharma’s remarks about giving chances to players who “show hunger” for Test cricket. Rohit’s comments came after India secured a win over England in the fourth Test in Ranchi. Gavaskar supported Rohit’s views on the matter.
“He’s absolutely right. The ones who want to play Test cricket, you look at them. I’ve been saying this for years. The players are what they are because of Indian cricket. The stage of life and career they are at, is all because of Indian cricket. The money, fame and recognition that they have got is because of Indian cricket. So you’ve got to show some loyalty towards Indian cricket,” Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.
“And if you don’t show that for whatever reasons and say ‘I won’t play, won’t play that’ Rohit is absolutely right in saying the ones who have the hunger, the ones who are willing to put the effort, will be given more opportunities going ahead. If this is the attitude of the selectors then it will be good for Indian cricket. We’ve seen many players pick and choose, this shouldn’t happen," he added.
Rohit’s comments came after the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) warning for its contracted players to not skip red-ball assignments in the domestic circuit. Needless to say, Rohit’s statement will put pressure on players like Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer who did not participate in the Ranji Trophy.
Kishan has not taken part in the Ranji Trophy despite remaining out of the India squad since December. Meanwhile, Iyer was dropped after the second Test against England. Iyer skipped Mumbai’s quarterfinal against Baroda but has been included in the squad for the last-four fixture.