“Your salaries depend on India” - Sunil Gavaskar slams Team India critics

Former Indian captain and commentator Sunil Gavaskar has slammed Team India critics. Notably, Team India is playing all of its Champions Trophy 2025 matches in Dubai, and it is not going well with a few former cricketers. 

Importantly, India refused to travel to Pakistan due to security concerns. For the same reason, the ICC and BCCI mutually agreed to host all of its games at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.

This decision by the ICC didn’t go down well with Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton as they stated that India will have familiar conditions to play on. Later, Rassie van der Dussen, the South African cricketer, and Michael Bracewell, the New Zealand all-rounder, had also shared their views on India playing in familiar conditions.

"I think these are all wise and experienced people. Why don't you actually look at why your team has not qualified? That's what I was going to ask you, sir. Rather than constantly focusing on India, are you even looking at your own backyard? Your players are in such a fragile mental state-they don't seem to care about results as long as they meet certain expectations," Gavaskar told India Today.

"You must care about results. You must care for your country, for any team you play for. If you are playing for your country, the responsibility is even greater. All the time, they are mourning -- 'India has got this, India has got that.' It's constant. We must just ignore it. Let them keep mourning. We have better things to focus on. That is the kind of attitude you must have,” he added.

"As I said before, it's not even worth commenting on. It really isn't. They are always mourning. They just cannot seem to understand where India stands in international cricket-in terms of quality, income, talent, and, more importantly, in terms of generating revenue. India's contribution to global cricket-through television rights and media revenue-plays a massive role. They need to understand that their salaries also come from what India brings to the world of cricket," Gavaskar concluded.

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