'A generation with beach bodies and pampered mindset': Gavaskar's explosive take on 'workload' amid India vs IPL debate

Sunil Gavaskar has been pretty vocal in expressing his displeasure towards India's World Cup-bound players being frequently rested.

When India take part in the World Cup later this year, they would have gone 10 years without a limited-overs ICC trophy. June 2013 was the last time Team India got their hands on an ICC silverware when MS Dhoni led them to a historic Champions Trophy win in England, completing a trifecta of winning all major ICC tournaments. But ever since, the Indian cricket team has endured a drought like no other. They have won bilateral series all over the world but stumbled when it comes to tournaments like World Cups and Champions Trophy. Since Ct 2013, India have come close on several occasions – semi-finalists in World Cup 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2022, finishing runner-up in 2017 Champions Trophy and the inaugural World Test Championship – but an ICC trophy has always eluded them.

Sunil Gavaskar has reopened the IPL vs India debate. (BCCI)

This time around, India have a golden opportunity to end their decade-long drought as they enter the World Cup as hosts. However, one obstacle that awaits them is the rise in the number of injuries. With Rishabh Pant all but out of the World Cup and there being no fixed timeline on Jasprit Bumrah's recovery, Team India is in a race against time. To take care of their players better, the BCCI is looking after their workload management with reports stating that the board has instructed the IPL franchises to keep a keen eye on the players who have been shortlisted for the World Cup, including Rohit Sharma. The India captain has a history of getting injured frequently and hence when a reporter asked Mumbai Indians coach Mark Boucher about resting their captain, if need be, the former South Africa remained tight-lipped indicating otherwise.

Reacting to it, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar appreciated Boucher for his frank take on the topic, saying the B word should not exist while playing T20 cricket. "It was refreshing to hear the Mumbai Indians' coach Mark Boucher pooh-pooh the workload question, saying that a 20-overs-a-side game isn't a lot of workload. Just before the IPL started in 2008, there was a lot of noise about burnout started by a players' organisation," the legend wrote in his column for Mid-Day.

Gavaskar has been pretty vocal in expressing his displeasure towards India's World Cup-bound players being frequently rested. Most recently, when Rohit missed the first ODI against Australia due to a family matter – for his brother-in-law's wedding – Gavaskar was quick to jump the gun saying, 'You can't have a captain who is there for one match and not there for others,' referring to Hardik captaining in the series opener. "When it comes to the World Cup, you can't have a family commitment," he stated.

Once again, Gavaskar has reopened the IPL vs India debate saying it's not surprising to see players not shying away from missing the IPL for rest and to manage their workload, but are more than open to it when it comes to playing for the Indian team.

"As soon as the players realised what the IPL was offering in terms of remuneration for maybe a dozen or so T20 games, the message must have gone out to the organisation to just drop the burnout discussion. Now, the new word is workload and for a generation that has beach bodies and a pampered mindset it's the perfect excuse not to play for their country," pointed out the former India batter.