Exclusive | 'There's this word called workload...': Sunil Gavaskar's huge advice to Gautam Gambhir in picking squad after India's humiliating defeat in Kolkata Test

Cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar slammed Indian batters after their 30-run defeat in the first Test match against South Africa at iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Shubman Gill-less India failed to chase down 124 runs as South Africa took 1-0 lead in the two-Test match series of the Freedom Trophy.

Gavaskar slammed Indian batters

In an exclusive conversation with Sports Tak, Gavaskar said that the main reason behind India's collapse against South Africa was the lack of domestic cricket. The former India captain suggested that the players feature in the Ranji Trophy to get familiar with the conditions of those pitches where the ball grips and turns a little bit.

"A lot of our players do not play domestic cricket. If you play domestic cricket, you will get to play on such pitches, right? Because even at the domestic level, teams are trying to get the points so that they qualify for the knockouts of the Ranji Trophy, which means that there will be pitches where the ball will grip and turn a little bit. But none of our players are playing that. None of our current players. How many of our current players actually deign to go down and play Ranji Trophy?" said Sunil Gavaskar in exclusive chat with Sports Tak.

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Gavaskar's advice for Indian selectors

Gavaskar slammed Indian players for opting out of domestic cricket due to workload management. He also suggested the management pick players from the Ranji Trophy rather than the stars who are featuring in international cricket.

"No, they don't because there's this word called workload. Workload is the word. They don't want to play. They don't want to play. They only want to play in the Ranji Trophy if they are out of form. Otherwise, they don't want to play. So that is the answer. Maybe you want to look at, you know, preparing a pitch where the ball will grip and turn a little bit. Then you want to pick guys who are playing domestic cricket. We do not really want to play guys who are playing international cricket because they don't have the practice against such kind" added Gavaskar.

Notably, Team India featured with 10 batters in the first Test match as skipper Shubman Gill was left the field midway while batting due to some neck issues. The stylish batter was later ruled out of the complete Test match. There are chances that Gill will miss the second Test as well, which will take place at ACA Stadium in Guwahati.