New Delhi: The sun may have set on the British Empire, but the end of the 'never-ending season' of Indian cricket is nowhere in sight. The series and tournaments being played one after the other have taken the physical and mental abilities of the players to their extreme limits. Former captain of the Indian cricket team and 'Little Master' Sunil Gavaskar has expressed deep concern about the increasing pressure on the players. He has appealed to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take special care of the players' workload and their physical limitations while preparing the upcoming cricket calendar.

World beaters will be created only by the strength of domestic cricket.

According to Sunil Gavaskar, the future of Indian cricket depends on a strong domestic structure. The gold medal won in the Asian Games is a positive step for the team and has boosted the morale of the players. However, to produce world-class players in the long run, it is important to give priority to first-class and domestic cricket.
If domestic tournaments are overlooked due to the pressure of the international schedule, the pipeline of talented players could weaken. Now the strategy of ICC and BCCI will be monitored.

Team India is not the whole of Indian cricket

Apart from the fatigue of the players, Gavaskar has also raised questions on the thinking of the administrative structure of Indian cricket. He said that in today's era, the entire attention is focused only on the national team, whereas the truth is that 'Indian cricket team itself is not Indian cricket, rather it is just a product of the Indian cricket system.'
Gavaskar also took a dig at the claims of preparing three separate international teams. He says that on paper it is easy to create three teams, but the reality is that in recent years even the main team has struggled to win major trophies as expected.

metaphor of sugarcane and machine

In his recent column in 'Sportstar', Sunil Gavaskar has made a scathing attack on the extremely busy schedules of Indian cricketers. Making a scathing comment on the condition of the players, he wrote that Indian cricketers are neither a machine nor a sugarcane, which has to be squeezed continuously till the last drop of juice is extracted. He believes that fielding players continuously without giving them adequate rest and recovery time can prove dangerous for both their performance and fitness.

This statement of Gavaskar has come at a time when the Joint Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Devjit Saikia himself has considered excessive matches as the main reason for the increasing injuries among players. The ICC's next four-year Future Tours Program (FTP) starting from 2027 is to be discussed soon, in such a situation, Gavaskar wants that this time while making the calendar, along with the revenue, the health of the players should also be given priority.