Sunil Gavaskar has sounded a warning over the relentless demands being placed on Indian cricketers, calling for a rethink of the packed international calendar and greater emphasis on the domestic game.The former India captain has cautioned against sending players from one series or tournament to another without giving them adequate time to recover. His comments, made in his Sportstar column, come amid growing concerns over the workload on India’s players and a recent spate of injuries.A week ago, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had attributed the injury problems affecting Indian cricket to the team’s heavy match schedule. The board is now keen to find a solution to the issue.With the ICC preparing to discuss the next four-year international calendar cycle beginning in 2027, Gavaskar believes the strain on players needs to be considered while the schedule is being framed.
Gavaskar’s warning over player workload
Gavaskar referred to the recent meeting held to take stock of Indian cricket and hoped the concerns surrounding the workload would also be reflected in discussions at the ICC.“The recent meeting to take stock of Indian cricket did try to come to grips with the issue. Hopefully, when the ICC meeting to discuss the international cricket calendar over the next cycle of four years from 2027 takes place, the decision-makers will realise that Indian cricketers are neither machines nor sugarcane to be endlessly squeezed for every drop of the juice,” Gavaskar wrote in his column.The former batter’s comments come at a time when India’s leading players are required to navigate a packed schedule across formats and competitions, increasing the physical demands on an already stretched group.
‘The India cricket team is not Indian cricket’
Gavaskar also believes the conversation around Indian cricket needs to extend beyond the senior national team.While India’s international side remains the most visible part of the sport in the country, he argued that it is ultimately produced by a much wider domestic ecosystem and should not be viewed as synonymous with Indian cricket itself.“The India cricket team is not Indian cricket,” he wrote. “The India cricket team is the by-product of Indian cricket.”For Gavaskar, that distinction is particularly relevant when discussions turn to India’s much-praised bench strength.
Gavaskar questions India’s three-team depth
India’s ability to field several sides with international experience has often been cited as evidence of the country’s enormous talent pool. Gavaskar, however, believes that having enough players to assemble multiple teams does not necessarily mean the domestic system is consistently producing world-class cricketers.He pointed to recent results as a reason to look beyond the perception of India’s extraordinary depth and focus instead on strengthening the system that feeds the national team.“The argument that India’s bench strength is such that it can field three teams is good to make claims for the world, but the reality, as recent results have shown, is that one India team is at the moment not good enough to win much silverware. Yes, a gold in the Asian Games will once again rejuvenate the team and give it the confidence for oncoming battles, but unless domestic cricket is prioritised, the pipeline will not produce world beaters. All the best to both our boys and girls to win the gold,” Gavaskar wrote.Gavaskar’s argument, therefore, goes beyond simply reducing the workload of India’s established stars. He believes the long-term health of Indian cricket depends equally on ensuring that domestic cricket remains strong enough to continually produce players capable of succeeding at the highest level.As the ICC prepares to map out the international calendar from 2027 onwards, Gavaskar’s comments put two connected issues under the spotlight: how much cricket India’s players are being asked to play and whether the domestic structure is strong enough to sustain the national team in the years ahead.
