Sunil Gavaskar has a sharp message for cricket’s biggest decision-makers: Indian players are human beings, not resources to be endlessly exploited.
The former India captain has called on both the BCCI and the ICC to ease up on cricket’s overloaded schedule, arguing that the constant stream of international fixtures has pushed domestic cricket to the sidelines and this, in turn, is damaging the pipeline that is supposed to produce India’s future stars.
This comes shortly after the BCCI, in a recent meeting, decided to revise India’s Future Tours Programme with a focus on better preparing players for tough overseas tours in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia. The board’s secretary confirmed that going forward, there will be greater emphasis on giving players proper rest, time to adjust to conditions and practice matches ahead of these key series.
The changes come at a time when player workload and injury concerns have become a growing worry. The BCCI is also expected to bring this issue up at an upcoming ICC meeting later this month.
Sunil Gavaskar welcomed the board’s recent attempt to address the problem but stressed that the real test will come when the ICC meets to plan the international cricket calendar for the next four-year cycle starting in 2027. He hopes that when the discussion happens, those in charge will finally recognise that Indian cricketers are not machines that can be run endlessly, nor sugarcanes which can be squeezed dry for every last bit of value.
Sunil Gavaskar also pushed back on the idea that India’s depth in talent means it can comfortably field three full-strength teams at once. While that argument sounds convincing on paper, he pointed out that recent results tell a different story — India, as things stand, isn’t even winning enough with its best available team.
He acknowledged that a gold medal at the Asian Games could give the squad a confidence boost heading into future challenges but warned that without genuinely prioritising domestic cricket, the system simply won’t keep producing players capable of competing at the very top.
We certainly agree with Sunil Gavaskar, what about you?
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