Cricketers at crossroads: To break or not to break

Superstar Indian cricketers picking and choosing international assignments sends a wrong message

Ben Stokes' recent announcement to quit playing One-Day Internationals as the English all-rounder found playing three formats "unsustainable", triggered a series of calls from yesteryear and present cricketers to provide some relief from the hectic international schedule.

"The more cricket that is played, the better for the sport, but you want a product that is of the highest quality," said Stokes. "You want the best players to be playing as much as you possibly can, all the time, and it isn't just me or us. You see it all around the world now where teams are having to rest some players in a certain series so they feel like they are getting a break."

Around the time when Stokes' decision had evoked sympathies for the cricketer, Virat Kohli's request for the national selectors to excuse him for the white-ball tour of West Indies (three ODIs and five T20Is) didn't sit well with some former cricketers, including the legendary Sunil Gavaskar.

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Kohli was granted ‘rest’ along with Jasprit Bumrah, who had captained India in the first Test against England earlier this month. Regular skipper Rohit Sharma and pacer Mohammed Shami too have skipped the short series. While Rohit will return to lead the side in the five-match T20I series scheduled to kick off in Port of Spain on July 29, Kohli, yet to score an international century since November 2019 and whose form has been on the wane, will continue to ‘rest’ and attempt to recover his form. Stunningly, without playing cricket.

While most centrally contracted cricketers make themselves available to play Tests, considered the pinnacle of cricket, they tend to pick and choose the limited-overs games. Such has been the regularity of superstar players skipping series in recent years, some former players, for whom this was never an option, have questioned the commitment of the current generation. The legendary Gavaskar, for whom the India cap is one of the most prized assets so much so that he doesn’t want the BCCI emblem on fans’ merchandise, had this to offer during an interaction with Sports Tak.

“See, I do not agree with this concept of players resting. Not at all. You don't take rest during IPL, then why ask for it while playing for India? I don't agree with it. You will have to play for India. Don't talk about rest,” Gavaskar fumed. “There are only 20 overs in an innings in T20. That does not take any toll on your body. In Test matches, the mind and the body take a toll, I get that. But I don't think there is much problem in T20 cricket.”

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Such was the anger in Gavaskar’s voice, he sought the BCCI’s intervention to curb the rest culture. “Honestly feel that the BCCI needs to look into this concept of rest. All the Grade A cricketers have received very good contracts. They receive payment for every match. Tell me if there is any company whose CEO, or MDs get so much time off? I feel that if Indian cricket is to become more professional, a line needs to be drawn. If you want to be rested, you need to reduce your guarantees. How can anyone say that I don't want to play for the Indian team? Which is why I do not agree to the concept.”

Gavaskar, among the handful of former cricketers who can voice his opinion without fear of being ‘blacklisted’ by the players or the Board, has a valid point. When was the last time Kohli or Rohit or Bumrah chose to skip the IPL because they were tired and needed rest. Some foreigners have done it but not Indians. Given the huge sums they earn and the value they bring to their respective franchises, more often than not they ensure they enter the IPL in the right frame of mind.

While it’s up to the players on whether they want to play IPL or for the country or both, the reason why Gavaskar was upset was even if Kohli or Rohit don’t play a few series despite being fit, they will stand to earn Rs 7 crore per annum as they belong to A+ category.

When they can’t skip IPL, although it’s condensed into a two-month window, for whatever reason, then they shouldn’t be doing it for the national team. This double standard is what irks many critics.

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Yes, players like Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and Shami play all formats and deserve a break every now and then given the hectic modern day schedule. But if they chose to play only a certain number of matches for the country to keep their minds and bodies fresh, then their central contracts too should come with modifications that pays them based on the number of matches played. Not a guaranteed sum despite not being committed to the job for full.

Another reason why Kohli opting to 'rest' has snowballed into a hot topic is his continued lean patch. Considering there's no domestic cricket at the moment for him to regain his touch, the best option would have been to travel to the Caribbean. With a T20 World Cup in Australia not too far away and plenty of youngsters proving their credentials, the only way Kohli was going to iron out his chinks was by spending time in the middle. However, he has chosen to think differently.