Sunil Gavaskar slams 'Sourav Ganguly made Indian cricket tougher' claim by Nasser Hussain

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar has bashed former England captain Nasser Hussain for his remarks on the Indian cricket team of the 80s and 90s. Hussain, on a television show, said that the Indian team got tougher when Sourav Ganguly captained them. The Englishman had also said that Indian teams before the Sourav Ganguly era were very down to earth and playing against them was a pleasant experience. Hussain also claimed that there was a lack of competitive spirit while playing against them because of a lack of a fear factor that they induced in oppositions.

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Sunil Gavaskar bashes Nasser Hussain for saying 'Sourav Ganguly made Indian cricket tough'

However, Nasser Hussain reckons that as captain of the Indian team in the early 2000s, Sourav Ganguly made the Indian side feisty and passionate about the game. He also said that India is now feared by other teams and added that aggression came naturally to current BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Indian captain Virat Kohli. However, Sunil Gavaskar was not pleased with Hussain's comments.

Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day that the players mistook Team India’s 'niceness' as a weakness. He questioned the thought that unless a player is not in the face of the opposition, they are not considered 'tough'. Gavaskar continued his attack on Hussain by asking whether he indirectly meant that the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh among others were not tough just because they went about their business without any chest-thumping, swearing, screaming and pumping their arms in obscene gestures.

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Sunil Gavaskar opined that Nasser Hussain has no idea about the toughness of the Indian teams in the ’70s and ’80s, which won overseas as well as at home, making him underqualified to make that statement. Sunil Gavaskar admitted that Sourav Ganguly was undoubtedly a top captain, taking over the reins at a most delicate time in Indian cricket, but to say that earlier teams were not tough is 'nonsense'. 

The 71-year old also expressed his disappointment over the TV hosts and other people present on the show with Hussain for agreeing to every word he said by calling for pundits to stand up against someone who questions India's cricket history. Sunil Gavaskar reckoned that it is time that the perception of mistaking niceness for weakness has to end.

Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar decode Mumbai’s Art of Batsmanship

Former England captain Nasser Hussain recently took a stroll in Mumbai as part of an exclusive web documentary by Sky Sports Cricket. In the video, he can be seen attending the Brabourne Cricket Stadium, also known as the Cricket Club of India. Nasser Hussain managed to talk about the ‘Mumbai’s School of Batsmanship’ extensively with Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and current Indian coach Ravi Shastri.

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While speaking with Sunil Gavaskar, Nasser Hussain candidly asked the Indian legend about the players brought up in Mumbai system and why does the city have a history of creating great batsmen. The 125-Test veteran talked about the city’s history and said the players tend to seek inspiration from the cricketers who played before them. Sunil Gavaskar also said that all Mumbai batsmen ingrain a minimum price in their minds of no less than a hundred runs on their wicket.

Nasser Hussain approached Sachin Tendulkar and asked the ‘Master Blaster’ to give his take on ‘Mumbai’s Mantra’ of batting long and scoring runs. Tendulkar said his thought process was more to follow his predecessor Sunil Gavaskar. The 200-Test veteran said that his coach Ramakant Achrekar used to tell him to watch Sunil Gavaskar’s batting because he held a solid front foot and back foot defence. Sachin Tendulkar stated that such techniques were “built-in their heads” since their early years itself. The 2011 World Cup winner revealed that Sunil Gavaskar has always been his batting hero.

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IMAGE COURTESY: BCCI TWITTER