Yes, Gavaskar and Pathan must grow. Why so? I don’t mean in terms of their age and experience but in terms of understanding what is important. Why am I saying this? Well, Gavaskar and Pathan are furious that the English players have left for England. Yes, every England cricketer involved in the IPL, have left for the homeland. They have a series coming up against Pakistan for which the ECB asked their players to be ready. England and Pakistan will be involved in a series of T20 games, probably in preparation for the T20 World Cup. Hence, ECB thought that it is better to prepare as a team than individually in the IPL. It is not at all wrong.
I do not know what Gavaskar or Pathan is expecting from the England players? Do they expect them to sacrifice their commitment towards the national and get themselves involved in a tournament that is not their own? If it is so, they are delusional. I am 100% behind the decision of the England players to leave the IPL. Some of them have left while their respective teams still had a chance to either qualify for the playoffs or qualify for the final. I actually respect them for their decision. Nation must always trump any franchise cricket. Unfortunately, neither Gavaskar nor Pathan can understand that.
Gavaskar and Pathan’s comments
“I am all for players choosing country before anything else, but having assured various franchises about their availability for the full season, it will be letting down the franchises if they pull out now,” the legendary former India captain wrote in his column.
“The franchises should not only be allowed to deduct a substantial amount from the fee that the player was bought for, but also not give the Board, to which the player belongs, the stated 10 per cent commission of the fee that each player gets.”
Pathan, “Either be available for full season or don’t come!”
My take on this
Both of them are pretty delusional, to say the least. It will be hard for them to understand that there are players in this world, who prefer playing for the country over their club. It is not that they left during the middle of the tournament. They left right towards the end when only a couple of games at the most were left for their team. Now, Gavaskar wants the franchises to be allowed to deduct a substantial part of the fee. I do not think that a Buttler or Curran or even a Topley, is going to worry about fees cut.
If they get to represent their nation, they will be more than happy to accept a fee cut. Moreover, ECB is not like the Indian Cricket Board. They announce their schedule much ahead. The dates and the venue will be known for the summer series will be known at the end of the winter games. This allows the supporters to plan and attend those games and cheer for the team. The Indian Board on the otherhand, will take their own sweet time to announce the schedule of a series that will be held next month only at the last minute.
Every franchise must have known that England will be playing a series towards the end of the IPL because the games were already scheduled. Having known that, why did they anticipate the players leaving and formed a contingency plan? Or better still, why did they even hire some of them? The blame lies with the franchises and not with the England players as Gavaskar envisages. Which brings me back to whether their fees must be reduced? I do not think so. It is the fault of the franchises and they must have known that these players will leave.
Comparing to the Indian cricketers
It may seem that when Gavaskar spoke those words, he must have had the Indian players on his mind who are playing the entire tournament. What he fails to understand is that when your players become mercenaries, ofcourse they will play the entire tournament. Take the case of Bumrah. Not long ago, Bumrah was rested from the 4th Test against England. The series was very much alive during that stage. He was supposed to have been rested for the 3rd Test but better sense prevailed. Bumrah was ultimately rested from the 4th Test despite being the best fast bowler on either side. The reason given was to manage his workload. In the IPL, despite Mumbai Indians having a 0% chance of proceeding to the qualifiers, Bumrah played in every game until the final one. Why didn’t it feel necessary to manage his workload?
That basically is the difference between Indian players and someone from England or Australia or South Africa. For them, the nation matters more than the franchise. IPL will one day destroy Indian cricket beyond irreparable measure. India have not won a single T20 World Cup and has won only one ODI World Cup and one Champions Trophy since the launch.
Michael Vaughan counters Gavaskar and Pathan
“If you are going back to represent your country, which England players have done, I think that’s fair enough. They are playing a series against Pakistan. The England players wouldn’t have gone back if it wasn’t for the Pakistan series,” Vaughan said on Cricbuzz.
“The series was on the calendar. With English cricket, the defence of the 50-over World Cup was a poor one by England here in India. So I think, Jos and his team, 5 games against Pakistan, they get together. The actual lead-up to the 50-over World Cup wasn’t perfect either. There were a lot of swaps and changes. They have now gone back to 5 matches, get all the squad together, work on a bit of culture, everyone playing their right roles, I think it will give them a better chance,” he further added.
Nothing more needs to be said.
Wrapping up Gavaskar and Pathan must grow
Gavaskar, Pathan and everyone else who complains that the English players must not have left must understand that they are not mercenaries. If there is a clash between country and franchise, they will always choose country.
Some blogs about India
https://icricketcritique.com/this-indian-team-is-an-embarrassment/
https://icricketcritique.com/this-indian-team-is-an-embarrassment-2/
https://icricketcritique.com/why-and-where-did-india-lose/
https://icricketcritique.com/trust-in-over-the-hill-senior-citizens/
https://icricketcritique.com/india-deserve-to-lose-the-series/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-wisdom-of-indian-selectors/
https://icricketcritique.com/indian-openers-for-world-t20/
https://icricketcritique.com/indian-team-for-world-t20/