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India's legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar has slammed ex-overseas cricketers for criticising the selection of Team India for T20 Asia Cup 2025. Not just for the upcoming continental tournament, Gavaskar said that foreigners have "zero stake in Indian cricket" and unaware of how the selection works in the country. He feels that their criticism only "adds fuel to the fire". Most recently, Shreyas Iyer’s snub from the T20I squad led to comments from various cricket experts, Indian and foreign alike. While Gavaskar feels that debate in a country like India are expected, it is not foreigners’ business to meddle with India’s business.
“In a country as big as India, with its different languages, cultures and, more importantly, the talent pool that is available, such debates, discussions and variety of opinions are perfectly in sync with what life is like in India—where there’s a debate and argument about just about everything. All this is, as they say in golfing parlance, par for the course,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“What is baffling, though, is foreigners who have zero stake in Indian cricket, and much less knowledge about it, wading into the debate and adding fuel to the fire. However great they may be as players and however many times they may have been to India, the selection of the Indian team is strictly none of their business. They should focus on their country’s cricket and let us Indians worry about our cricket.”
Gavaskar pointed out that ex-Indian cricketers barely comment on team selection of foreign countries.
“Amazingly, when their country’s teams are selected, there’s hardly anything, if ever, heard from them about the selection. It’s almost as if the selection is perfect and they have no comments to make. So, why butt your nose into the selection of the Indian team? Have you ever heard Indian ex-cricketers talk about the selection of other countries’ teams? No, we mind our own business, and seriously couldn’t be bothered by who they choose or who they don’t select,” he opined.
Gavaskar slams engagement-hungry foreign cricketers, slams media too
Furthermore, the 76-year-old blames Indian media to an extent for asking foreign cricketers to comment on Indian cricket. He accused foreign cricketers of making negative comments to increase engagement on videos posted by them on social media.
“Today, in the days of public media, where getting views and followers is the theme, one of the fastest ways to increase the numbers is by commenting on matters Indian. And mostly, they do it negatively, so there is a huge reaction from Indian keyboard users, which in turn boosts their follower count. If you have thick skin, then all the better. That’s why so many overseas cricketers have made a living by needling the Indian cricket lovers with their mostly negative comments about Indian cricket and cricketers,” he said.
“To an extent, the Indian media is also responsible, as they go to overseas cricketers and ask them about Indian cricket. How often, on overseas tours, do we see members of the Indian media chasing former players from the host country — players whom even their own nation has almost forgotten — for an interview? It’s almost as if validation about Indian cricket and its cricketers has to be obtained from overseas players.”
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