'It's very unfortunate that our players don't go to him for advice.'
In an era when Indian cricket stars are groomed by the IPL and guided by elaborate support staff, one of the game's sharpest voices -- Sunil Gavaskar -- finds himself on the sidelines.
The Little Master still commands awe in commentary boxes around the world, but the current crop of Indian batters hardly ever knock on his door for advice.
In the past, the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, V V S Laxman and Virender Sehwag often turned to Gavaskar for guidance and drew confidence from his words.
Their careers carry plenty of anecdotes about how a timely tip from Sunny G offered them fresh direction. But the current generation, shaped heavily by the IPL ecosystem, appears more self-reliant, drawing support mainly from coaches and team management rather than cricketing legends.
Former India fast bowler Karsan Ghavri finds this decline disheartening. A team-mate of Gavaskar from the 1970s, the 74 year old believes it is a wasted opportunity that modern Indian batters don't reach out to Sunny G, especially when international players have no hesitation in doing so.
'Gavaskar has been doing commentary for the last 25 years. His comments are so precious to any young player. It's very unfortunate that our own players don't go to him for any advice. Even players from outside go to him,' Ghavri said on the Vickey Lalwani Show.
'Every Indian batter should go to him, including Shubman Gill. I don't know whether he's gone to him or not, but if he hasn't, he should. Somewhere, it would have come in the media -- that Sunil Gavaskar has advised Virat Kohli, or Rohit Sharma or Shubman Gill something -- but we never got to hear any such thing,' Ghavri, who played 39 Tests for India and took 109 wickets, added.
Ghavri also touched upon reports suggesting a frosty equation between Gavaskar and senior Indian stars. A few months ago, certain publications claimed Rohit Sharma had complained to the BCCI about Gavaskar’s remarks during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia earlier this year. The legendary opener’s critique of Virat Kohli’s strike rate in last season’s IPL also sparked controversy, with the RCB star reportedly unhappy with his comments.
To Ghavri, such reactions miss the point entirely. He believes players must learn to value Gavaskar’s words, even when they are critical.
'It is nonsense. You may be Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli. They must respect the great man. Because if he tells you something or is advising you on something, that is for their own good. Ravi Shastri is an open-hearted guy. When it comes to criticising somebody, he will do it, but Sunil does it in a very different manner. He is known for saying things totally different to Ravi Shastri,' he pointed out.
© 2025