News
Gavaskar Takes Indirect Dig At AB de Villiers: ‘Indian Selection Is None Of Your Business’
Follow UsDe Villiers earlier expressed that he was puzzled by Iyer's Asia Cup omission
The non-selection of Shreyas Iyer for the upcoming Asia Cup ended up triggering a lot of debates, with plenty of ex-cricketers weighing in on the topic. One such ex-cricketer who had a strong opinion about Iyer’s omission was AB de Villiers, who said he was puzzled by the Punjab Kings captain’s omission and wondered if there were off-field reasons for the 30-year-old’s omission.
In the wake of all the chatter about Iyer, Sunil Gavaskar took an indirect dig at de Villiers and other overseas ex-players commenting on team India’s selection, asking them not to interfere in what’s 'India’s business’.
“What is baffling, though, is that foreigners with no stake in Indian cricket and little knowledge about it wade into the debate, adding fuel to the fire. However great they may be as players and however many times they may have been to India, the selection of the Indian team is strictly none of their business,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“They should focus on their country’s cricket and let us Indians worry about our cricket. Amazingly, when their country’s teams are selected, there’s hardly anything, if ever, heard from them about the selection. It’s almost as if the selection is perfect and they have no comments to make. So why butt your nose into the selection of the Indian team?.”
Gavaskar further observed how commenting on Indian cricket issues has become a cheap and easy way for ex-pros from other countries to gain followers.
“Today, in the days of public media, where getting views and followers is the theme, one of the fastest ways to increase the numbers is by commenting on matters Indian,” Gavaskar wrote.
“And mostly, they do it negatively, so there is a huge reaction from Indian keyboard users, which in turn boosts their follower count. If you have a thick skin, then all the better. That’s why so many overseas cricketers have made a living by needling the Indian cricket lovers with their mostly negative comments about Indian cricket and cricketers,” he added.