Former skipper Sunil Gavaskar feels blaming the Indian Premier League or its post-match parties for India’s humiliating exit from the World Twenty20 Championships is a “poor excuse” to justify the dismal campaign.
Gavaskar rejected skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s comments that IPL’s after-match parties and all the travelling during the inter-city league left the players drained ahead of the World T20 in the West Indies.
“I don’t think that is an excuse at all. I think that is a very poor excuse used by people to say that IPL parties were the reason for the team not performing.
“Tell me one thing, there were no parties in the West Indies were they? So how can you say that the team performed badly in the Caribbean because of parties in India,” said Gavaskar.
Gavaskar, a member of the IPL governing council, however backed the under-fire Dhoni, saying he remains the best man to lead the Indian team. “I don’t think anybody should be complacent enough to think his place in the team is secure as a player or as a skipper. But having said that, Dhoni has done the best he could. I still think he is the best bet as far as captaining the country is concerned,” Gavaskar said.
He said the Indian batsmen, who were all at sea against the short-pitch bowling need to go back to the National Cricket Academy to sort out their technical deficiencies.
“The guys who have been found to be uncomfortable against the short ball should be sent to the NCA where they will be able to practice may be through a bowling machine or may be with some younger bowlers bowling to them from say 16 to 18 yards,” he told a news channel.
“They are under a contract with the BCCI so nobody can actually claim that they need a break, they don’t need a break if they haven’t performed, they need to go back to the NCA and hone their skills against the short ball,” Gavaskar suggested.
— PTI