Following India’s crushing defeat to Australia in the World Test Championship final, Rohit Sharma bemoaned the lack of preparation time for such a crucial match. The WTC final was set a week after the IPL 2023 concluded, with nearly all India players participating in the grueling season.
According to Rohit Sharma, Test cricket requires more discipline, and a time frame of 20-25 days would have been ideal.
However, batting icon Sunil Gavaskar has refuted the idea, arguing that it is the senior players who avoid travelling ahead of time for preparations because they know their place in the team is secure.
“What kind of preparation are we talking about? Now they have gone to the West Indies. You have the example of the World Test Championship before you. Are you playing any matches? So, what is this talk about 20-25 days?” Sunil Gavaskar told Indian Express.
After a month off, Team India resumed to action with the West Indies trip, taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series with a stunning innings triumph in Dominica last week.
“The team that the West Indies is today, you can go one day before the Test match and still beat them. But that should not blind us to the fact that when you talk about preparation, be genuine about it. Go 15 days before, play two warm-up matches. The main guys can rest, but the guys in the reserve, the fringe players, might be actually challenging some of the guys who are not doing well. He does not get an opportunity to show that he is good enough,” Gavaskar added.
He also mentioned how, despite claims of being one of the fittest teams in the world, Rohit Sharma & Co is frequently injured.
“The truth is the main guys do not want to go early because they know that come what may, they will get selected. When you go early they will talk about the workload. You call yourself the fittest team in the world or fitter than the earlier generations, then how do you break down so soon? How do you have a workload issue when you play a 20-overs game?” he said.
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