"Indian Cricketers Are Not Sugarcane": Sunil Gavaskar Calls Out BCCI, ICC, Makes Big Demand

With a packed international calendar in place and recurring injuries grappling several top Indian cricketers, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar called for re-adjustment of fixtures from 2027 and onwards. Gavaskar stated that Indian cricketers should not be treated like machines. His comments came after a recent review meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), where the Indian team's future tours post-IPL 2027 was also a topic of discussion. Gavaskar also urged for domestic cricket - particularly the Ranji Trophy - to be given more importance.

Gavaskar suggested that the Indian cricket season appears to be a never-ending cycle in the current calendar and fixture list.

"The recent meeting to take stock of Indian cricket did try to come to grips with the issue. Hopefully, when the ICC meeting to discuss the international cricket calendar over the next cycle of four years from 2027 takes place, the decision-makers will realise that Indian cricketers are neither machines nor sugarcane to be endlessly squeezed for every drop of the juice," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.

"The argument that India's bench strength is such that it can field three teams is good to make claims for the world, but the reality, as recent results have shown, is that one India team is at the moment not good enough to win much silverware" he added.

Gavaskar stated that additional international cricket should not come at the expense of domestic cricket. Putting the Ranji Trophy's haphazard schedule as an example, the legendary opener made his point.

"One thing that is not always taken into consideration is that the India cricket team is not Indian cricket. The India cricket team is the by-product of Indian cricket. A strong team will come from a strong domestic structure. Ignoring domestic cricket to focus on international cricket will prove counterproductive in the end," he wrote.

"The Ranji Trophy national championship needs to be given pride of place again, rather than being pushed around here and there as it has been over the past few years. After the league stage of the Ranji Trophy, there's a gap of over a month for the white-ball tournaments, after which the Ranji Trophy knockout starts. The rhythm and momentum get destroyed," he further pointed out.

According to recent reports, the BCCI will send an operations team to a workshop in Dubai with the intention to modify the Future Tours Programme (FTP) such that there is a wider gap between international games. India's packed calendar appears to have hurt a number of its stars, with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya missing large portions of international cricket in recent months and years.

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