“Time to stop pampering anyone” - Sunil Gavaskar asks BCCI to be stern and end ‘star culture’ in Indian cricket

Following India's humiliating 1-3 series defeat against Australia in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which ended on Sunday (January 5), former Indian captain and legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar slammed Indian players and called for the end of star culture in Indian cricket.

Following the end of the two-match Test series at home against Bangladesh in the first week of October, India was in pole position to advance to the third World Test Championship final in a row.

But Rohit Sharma's team could only win one of the last eight Tests, ending their prospects of capturing another ICC championship.

This included a 0-3 home loss to New Zealand and a 1-3 loss to Australia in the recently concluded BGT 2024-25 Test series.

If someone is not fully committed, they shouldn’t be selected: Sunil Gavaskar

Gavaskar, the first batsman to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket, was enraged by Indian players' lackluster performances on the tour Down Under and stated that players must demonstrate their dedication to the sport.

“I think the next 8–10 days are crucial for Indian cricket to take a good, honest look at itself. Most importantly, the star culture has to end. Total commitment to Indian cricket is non-negotiable. Players must make themselves available every single time unless there’s a genuine medical emergency. If someone isn’t fully committed, they shouldn’t be considered for selection," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

“We don’t need players who are partly here and partly elsewhere. It’s time to stop pampering anyone. The recent results have been disappointing—we should have been in the World Test Championship final but didn’t make it," he added.

This is the first time India failed to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship cycle. They had previously lost to New Zealand in the 2021 final in Southampton and then lost to Australia in the 2023 final at the Oval.

BCCI needs to stop being admirers: Sunil Gavaskar wants players’ full commitment to Indian cricket

Many fans and former players were outraged by India's failure to qualify for the third WTC final in a row, and following India's first Test series defeat against Australia since 2014-15, Gavaskar urged the BCCI to put their foot down and take strong measures to restore responsibility.

“The cricket board needs to stop acting like admirers and put their foot down. They must tell the players that Indian cricket comes first. It’s either a full commitment to Indian cricket or other priorities—you can’t have it both ways. If Indian cricket is your priority, only then should you be selected," Gavaskar concluded.

India’s next Test assignment will be in England when they play 5 Tests starting on June 20.

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