‘Cricketing world agrees…’ – India legend slams BCCI’s ‘short-gain policies’ after New Zealand whitewash

New Zealand blanked India 3-0 in the recently concluded Test series, becoming the first team to clean-sweep India in their home conditions. That blow hit everyone - from players to analysts and fans to former legends, harder, with ex-India captain and batting great Sunil Gavaskar coming down hard on Rohit Sharma’s men over this result.

With India losing the home Test series 0-3, their chances of reaching the WTC Final 2025 suffered a serious beating; for them to now qualify for the summit clash for the third straight time, they must beat Australia 4-0, something Gavaskar feels is like a mountain to climb for the visitors.

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Gavaskar tore into BCCI’s ‘short-gain policy’ of preparing tracks for just spinners when their team has the best fast bowler in the world – Jasprit Bumrah, saying this cost India in this series, adding with this low morale, it’s hard to pull off a miracle Down Under.

“Australia looks like a huge mountain to climb after the Indian team stumbled terribly on a speed bump called New Zealand. Nobody, not even the Kiwis themselves, would have thought of a clean sweep against India, and that too in India.”

“It has happened thanks to the short-gain policy of preparing pitches for our spinners when just about everybody in the cricketing world agrees that we have the best new-ball bowler in the world across all formats," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.

Calling off intra-squad game upsets Gavaskar

The BCCI had earlier planned an intra-squad game between India and India-A at the WACA in Perth ahead of the first Test but scrapped this idea at the last minute, restricting India’s preparation for the marquee series to just training in the nets and batting on centre wicket.

Though most batters picked have toured Australia before, Gavaskar feels this decision could cost the newcomers like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan, who are crucial to the side’s success in Australia.

"We are now told that the warm-up game before the first Test has been called off. Wouldn’t it benefit youngsters like (Yashasvi) Jaiswal and Sarfaraz (Khan), who are playing on Australian pitches for the first time, to get some runs under their belt and get a feel of what the pitches will be like?

"And if they get out early, they can still get into the nets and practice against the throw-down specialist or the net bowlers. For bowlers like Akash Deep and Harshit Rana too, it’s essential to know the best length to bowl in Australia, as it’s different from India, and the best learning is in a proper match and not just net practice.

"Let’s just hope that good sense prevails, and even now, though it’s too late, some warm-up games can be arranged, even if it’s against the State A teams like Queensland A and Victoria A. These warm-up games will give the first-timers to Australia and youngsters good practice and a better chance to succeed," Gavaskar added.

Meanwhile, the Optus Stadium in Perth will host the first Test starting November 22.

(With inputs from agencies)