The Sunil Gavaskar-Virat Kohli strike-rate rant saga seemed to have no end. After Virat Kohli’s ‘to sit and speak about the game from the box‘ comment, followed by a fiery Sunil Gavaskar ‘we don’t have agendas‘ reply, a few former cricketers – who now are broadcasters themselves – chimed in with their views mindful of not taking the treacherous path of siding with either of the two cricketing legends, but Balwinder Singh Sandhu, India’s 1983 World Cup winner, had put his weight behind his ‘first Test captain’, saying that Sunil Gavaskar was justified in ‘displaying his discontent’ and that the current crop of players ‘often overreact to protect their reputation and fan base’
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“If a senior cricketer in the commentary box makes factually correct comments, the player being criticised should take it as constructive feedback and strive to improve their skills, ensuring performances answer the criticism. Instead, players often overreact to protect their reputation and fan base, regardless of whether the comments are personal, issue-based or factually correct,” Sandhu wrote in his column on The Midday.
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Balwinder Singh Sandhu, a former right-arm swing bowler for India who played eight Tests and 22 ODIs between 1982 and 1984, highlighted the role of former cricketers as commentators. He emphasised that their views should be taken constructively and that ‘reacting emotionally to criticism only exacerbates the situation’.
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“Nowadays, most TV commentators are retired players, ranging from good to legendary. If their criticism is valid, it should be taken constructively, not defensively. Reacting emotionally to criticism, whether personal or not, only exacerbates the situation. Players should use their performance on the field as the ultimate response. It’s crucial to avoid getting caught up in one’s narrative, as Gavaskar pointed out,” wrote the 67-year-old.
Sandhu also pointed out a shift in the current crop of players’ priorities. He noted that they are more concerned about ‘social media and financial gains’ than their moral obligations to be role models for future generations.
“In the past, players would respond positively to a legend. If he was mistaken, a respectful dialogue would follow. However, today’s players seem more preoccupied with social media and financial gains, often forgetting they function as role models for future generations,” wrote Sandhu.
How Did the Sunil Gavaskar vs Virat Kohli war of words begin
It all started after Virat Kohli, during the post-match presentation after the GT vs RCB game in which RCB chased down the target of more than 200 in just 16 overs, with Kohli scoring a 44-ball 70, went on a rant regarding the debate over his batting strike rate. He said, “I am not sure if you have not been in that situation yourself, to sit and speak about the game from the box; I don’t think it’s the same thing, so for me, it’s just about doing my job, people can talk about ideas for the game, but for me, it’s kind of a muscle memory now”.
Gavaskar, the first player in the game’s history to score 10,000 Test runs, did not heed what Kohli said and was further miffed by the host broadcasters’ repeated airing of the particular comment. During a post-match show, Gavaskar fired back, stating,” All these guys talk about, ‘Oh, we don’t care about outside noise’. Then why are you replying to any outside noise or whatever it is? We all played a bit of cricket, not a lot of cricket. We don’t have agendas. We speak about what we see. We don’t necessarily have any likes and dislikes. Even if we have likes and dislikes, we actually speak on what is happening”.
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