'They are Dadas in India'; Sunil Gavaskar slams Rahul Dravid's comments after WTC loss

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has strongly criticized Rahul Dravid's response following India's defeat to Australia in the World Test Championship final on Sunday. Gavaskar expressed his disappointment with Team India's performance and emphasized that nobody should be exempt from criticism.

After the team's 209-run loss, Dravid was questioned about the declining batting averages of Indian players while playing in overseas conditions. In his reply, the current head coach suggested that such a drop in averages is a common phenomenon for any team playing away from home.

Also Read: Australia Defeat India By 209 Runs To Win Maiden World Test Championship Title

However, Gavaskar discarded Dravid's response, stating that it was irrelevant to discuss the averages of players from other teams, as the question specifically pertained to the Indian players' performances. Gavaskar went on to say that a thorough self-assessment is required to find out what exactly went wrong for India. 

"It doesn't matter what the others' averages are, we are talking about an Indian team now, the Indian team's average is falling, something has to be done. The batting has been the one which has caused us problems every time we go overseas. So why is it happening? That is something that we need to look at. Why is it happening that our batting, which bats so well in India, you know, they are Dadas in India, when they go overseas, some of them falter, not everybody falters, some of them falter," Gavaskar said. 

Gavaskar stresses the importance of honest self-assessment

Gavaskar questioned whether the coaching and analysis being provided are sufficient to address the areas that require improvement and to minimize errors. Gavaskar stressed the importance of honest self-assessment after a defeat and highlighted that it is not just about winning or losing, but how a team loses that matters. He labeled India's performance in the WTC final as a capitulation, expressing his disappointment.

"Why is it happening? Is there not much coaching that is required? Is there not much of the analysis of you know where the areas are that you could improve on? Where you can cut down on the element of error? So these are things that need to be looked at. Honest self-assessment is an absolute necessity after this. Look in a game one team is going to win, and one team is going to lose. But it's how you lose is the thing. And what we saw today was a capitulation. Now, that hurts," he added. 

Also Read: WTC 2023 Final: 3 Major Talking Points That Led To India's Loss Against Australia

Gavaskar says nobody is beyond criticism

"I've been in teams where we have also been knocked out for 42 and thereabouts, and we've been miserable in the changing room. But we have copped flack. We have taken, you know, we have been criticized heavily. So I think you cannot say that you know, the current lot is not beyond criticism. They have to be very analytical about what happened, why they got out, why they didn't bowl well, why they didn't catch. All those things have to be done. Was our approach toward the game the right approach? Was our approach toward the match the right approach? Was our selection of the XI the right thing? All these factors have to come in. You cannot brush this under the carpet," Gavaskar concluded. 

Gavaskar drew from his own experiences, mentioning instances where he was part of teams that faced heavy criticism and took responsibility for their poor performances. He emphasized that the current team should not be exempt from criticism and must analyze the reasons behind their failures, including their approach to the game, team selection, and execution of skills. Gavaskar concluded by stating that brushing the issues under the carpet would not be a solution.

Image: PTI/BCCI