"An Advantage...": Sunil Gavaskar On India Facing Australia, Pakistan At Start Of World Cup 2023

03.07.2023 - 05:11 sports.ndtv.com

The schedule for 2023 ODI World Cup has already been announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) earlier this week.

The mega event is set to kick off with a game between defending champions England and last-edition finalists New Zealand -- on October 05 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Meanwhile, the Indian team will begin its campaign against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8. The much-awaited clash between arch-rivals India and Paksitan is scheduled to take place on the 15th of October in Ahmedabad.

It is worth noting that India are scheduled to play two of their first three matches against strong teams like Australia and Pakistan.

cricket Australia Cricket Team India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team World Cup 2023 cup on Star Sports Sunil Gavaskar Australia New Zealand India Pakistan

Pakistan batter Saud Shakeel has been enjoying the form of his life. He started his Test career with multiple solid knocks and he created history by becoming the first Pakistan cricketer to score a double ton in Sri Lanka when he scored an unbeaten 208 during the first Test match in Galle. It was the 45th double ton by any Pakistan batter but irrespective of the records, the innings also did wonders to his batting average. At present, Shakeel boasts of an average of 90.88 – the second-highest for any batter after at least 10 innings only behind the legendary Don Bradman (99.94). No other batter has average over 90 in the same span.

"Selectors And Board Should Be Asking Questions": Sunil Gavaskar Unhappy Over India's WTC Final Strategy

India's wait for an ICC title got extended when they lost the World Test Championship Final against Australia by 209 runs in June. At The Oval in London, Australia were boosted by centuries from Steve Smith and Travis Head while their bowlers were up to the task too. Barring a 89 from Ajinkya Rahane in the first innings and Mohammed Siraj's bowling, there was not much to write home about from the Indian side. Former India captain and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar was the BCCI and the team selectors to ask questions on the performance.

"Don't Have An Ego About This...": Sunil Gavaskar's Dig At Current India Batters

Legendary Indian cricket team opener Sunil Gavaskar believes that there are some technical problems when it comes to current national team batters but none of them have ever approached him for any kind of help. In a recent interaction, Gavaskar recalled helping Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar with specific issues but made it clear that no one from the current crop of players have spoken to him regarding batting techniques. While he is open to helping them, the ex-India captain made it clear that he does not talk to them about it in order to not overstep on the current coaches.

R Ashwin's "Just Colleagues" Comment On India Teammates Makes Sunil Gavaskar 'Sad'

The camaraderie between the current crop of Indian players has evolved and taken a new form in current times. While some of the players from the previous generation also became best friends, according to Ravichandran Ashwin, that isn't the case anymore. After Ashwin revealed that his India teammates 'aren't friends but colleagues', legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar expressed his disappointment. Gavaskar admitted that it's a sad thing as players should be able to talk to each other about the off-field stuff when the cricketing duties are over.

"Going Overboard": Harbhajan Singh Reacts As Sunil Gavaskar Questions 'Captain' Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma needs all the support from the Indian cricket establishment in the coming times as people are going "overboard" with their criticism of his captaincy, feels spin great Harbhajan Singh. In recent weeks, the Indian captain has received a lot of flak from fans and former cricketers, including the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, who felt that his leadership in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia was not up to the mark. However, Harbhajan, who has seen a lot of Rohit in the Indian as well as the Mumbai Indians dressing room, reminded everyone about the kind of respect he commands from his peers.

From One Little Master To Another, Sachin Tendulkar's Beautiful Birthday Post For Sunil Gavaskar

One of the greatest batters of all time, Sunil Gavaskar turned 74 years old on July 10, 2023. As wishes poured in from fans and other cricketing personalities, one tweet that stood out was from the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar. Also known as the Little Master, Tendulkar paid tribute to the man whom he idolised growing up. "Happy birthday to my batting idol, the man we all wanted to bat like while growing up. Happy birthday, Gavaskar sir!," Tendulkar tweeted on the occasion.