Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri slam Indian cricketers after their heavy defeat in WTC Final

Indian cricket team failed to break their ICC trophy drought last weekend after losing the ICC World Test Championship 2023 final to Australia. The Rohit Sharma-led side’s 209-run loss was met with fierce criticism from the Indian cricketing community, including some of the legends. One of the main topics of discussion after the WTC final loss was India’s selection of the playing XI for the match.

3 Things You Need To Know

• Australia overpowered India in the ICC WTC Final to win by 209 runs
• India lacked firepower in both the batting and bowling departments
• The decision to not play the no. 1-ranked Test bowler R Ashwin became the talk of the town

Indian cricketing community bashes Team India for their approach in the WTC Final

Reacting to Rohit Sharma and co.’s loss in the ICC World Test Championship Final, Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar pointed out how India takes pride in defeating cricketing minnows. On the other hand, former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri asked the team to get their priorities sorted. Former Indian cricketers Virender Sehwag and Parthiv Patel were the other big names who tore apart Team India for their performance.

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Revealing his thoughts on Star Sports, Sunil Gavaskar said India might hammer West Indies by 2-0 or 3-0 in the upcoming series, and qualify for the next ICC WTC final but that doesn’t guarantee them a trophy. “Yeah, we've got now two matches against the West Indies. West Indies are not the best team in the world. You go and hammer them 2-0 or 3-0, whatever the matches are. Doesn't mean that, you know, because when you come across and maybe you get to the finals, maybe two years down the road and you're playing Australia again and you're going to make the same mistakes, how do we win the trophy,” questioned Gavaskar.

Ravi Shastri slams Rohit’s comments on lack of preparation, suggests skipping IPL

At the same time, former Indian coach Ravi Shastri was furious over Rohit’s comment about lack of preparation and said the players should exclude IPL from their calendar if they feel so. Speaking on Star Sports, Shastri said, “See, that's never going to happen. Let's be realistic here. You're not going to get those 20 days. And if that's the case then you've got to miss IPL”.

Adding on to his comments, Shastri asked the team to get their priorities sorted by saying, “So, the choice is yours and it also depends on the setup. I am sure the BCCI will review. In future, if every time in June the final of World Test Championship is played just after the culmination of IPL, then for that season if your team qualifies for the final then some provisions have to be made in the franchise”.

BCCI President, Virender Sehwag and Parthiv Patel’s comments on WTC final loss

Former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel suggested a major change in the way Test matches are played in India. As per Parthiv, India needs their batsmen to score big hundreds by spending long hours on the crease. He felt the recent trend of Test matches concluding within three days in India is a major reason behind India’s loss. 

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BCCI President Roger Binny was another big name to open up in India’s loss with a few explosive comments. As per the 1983 World Cup-winning player, India lost the game on the opening day itself when Australian batsmen Travis Head and Steve Smith amassed a mammoth 285-run stand in the first innings. Speaking to ANI, Binny said, “The game was even, otherwise”.

"We left it a little too late on the fifth day"

“We lost the game on the first day, but I think we left it a little too late on the fifth day. The large partnership of 200 or so runs that Australia put together completely changed the situation. If we take out that partnership, the game was completely even,” the BCCI president Roger Binny added.

Meanwhile, Virender Sehwag remained baffled by India’s selection of the playing XI for the WTC final and revealed he feels India might have lost their mind to exclude Ashwin from the playing XI. Similar to Parthiv, he also lashed out at the Indian batting order by suggesting they have a better mindset and approach if they want to win championships in the future.