“Fora do dicionário de críquete indiano”: Sunil Gavaskar faz uma escavação indireta em Gautam Gambhir sobre a carga de trabalho

Sunil Gavaskar didn’t hold back after India’s spirited finish to the England series, turning his attention to a term he believes is softening the fabric of Indian cricket: workload. Watching Mohammed Siraj steam in tirelessly for five straight Tests, Gavaskar hailed the pacer as proof of grit. Gavaskar stressed that Siraj “bowled his heart out” and called for the term workload to be “removed from the Indian cricket dictionary”. Gavaskar drew parallels and questioned if India’s soldiers on the border complain about the adverse situations they face.

Siraj’s resilience vs Gambhir’s cautious approach

Siraj was India’s workhorse, delivering 185.3 overs across five gruelling tests and finishing as the series’ top wicket-taker. His lionhearted effort took notice of the entire world. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah’s absence in the fifth Test, after head coach Gautam Gambhir revealed the pacer would be rested to manage his workload, drew some criticism. Bumrah’s dip in pace and a minor knee issue had prompted caution, but Gavaskar argued that Siraj’s relentless performance showed that mental toughness can often trump anything.

Drawing a parallel to soldiers guarding India’s borders, Gavaskar questioned, “Do jawans complain about the cold?” He added that representing the nation is an honor shared by only a few out of 140 crore people and urged players to embrace that responsibility despite minor aches and pains. He also pointed to Rishabh Pant’s unimaginable bravery in batting with a fractured toe as an example of the commitment required at the highest level.

“There’s always the saying that the bowlers win your matches, but the fact of the matter is that you’ve also got to score the runs. So because India didn’t score the runs, they lost those two matches. So yes, I think Siraj bowled his heart out, and he debunked forever this business of workload,” Gavaskar told IndiaToday.

“I hope that the word ‘workload’ goes out of the Indian Cricket dictionary. I’ve been saying that for a long time. For five Test matches nonstop, he bowled 6-over, 7-over, 8-over spells because the captain wanted it, and the country expected of him. And I think that is the one thing that we all should keep in mind that this workload is only a mental thing, not so much a physical thing,” he said.