Last year, in a hard-hitting column, Sunil Gavaskar had called out the Indian players who skipped international matches under the pretext of workload management. He called the term “workload” as an excuse that the players were using to be available for the entire duration of the IPL.
“The new word is workload and for a generation that has beach bodies and a pampered mindset, it’s the perfect excuse not to play for their country,” the legendary former India captain wrote in his Mid-Day column. Gavaskar would be pleased to know that Gautam Gambhir, the new India coach, has taken the issue head-on right after assuming the charge. It was on his insistence, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have made themselves available for the ODI series in Sri Lanka. The two senior players reportedly thought about taking an extended break after the T20 World Cup.
It’s good that Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have laid down strict guidelines as regards to players’ workload management. Gambhir talked logic when he said that for someone like Jasprit Bumrah workload management is important. For the batters, however, it is different.
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“I have said it before, workload management for someone like Jasprit is important,” Gambhir said at the Indian team’s pre-departure press conference on Monday. “He is one rare bowler that anyone would want. You want him to play important games. That’s why the workload management for not just him but fast bowlers is important.”
Bumrah is one of a kind, unarguably the Indian team’s MVP. And with India set to play 10 Tests in the lead-up to next year’s World Test Championship final, it would be important to keep the pace spearhead in top shape. It shouldn’t be forgotten that Bumrah missed 11 months of cricket in 2022-23 due to a back injury and the team needs him to be in fine fettle during the five-Test series in Australia later this year. He has rightly been allowed to cool his heels for the upcoming white-ball series in Sri Lanka.
Gambhir explained why things should be different for the batters. “If you are a batter, who is batting well, you might as well just play all formats,” he said. “Rohit and Virat have retired from T20Is now, so they will play two formats from now. Hopefully, they are available for most of the games.”
Going back to Gavaskar, this should be music to his ears. Yes, some white-ball series are devoid of context and/or relevance. But playing for the country should be the priority for the centrally-contracted players. They shouldn’t be allowed to pick and choose. Gambhir has driven home his point. And credit to the BCCI for backing the new coach on the issue.
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