Different rules for different players: Sunil Gavaskar points out favouritism in the Team India contingent

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Image Courtesy: PTI

Cricketing virtuoso Sunil Gavaskar has put forward a bold statement, claiming that there is a prevalence of different treatment of players and there are also different rules for them and takes three names- Virat Kohli, T Natarajan and Ravi Ashwin.

After being present for the ODI and T20I series against Australia, Virat Kohli played only the first match of the ongoing Test series in the Land Down Under and has flown back to India to attend the expectant Anushka Sharma.

While the general cricket scene has been approved the Indian team management’s decision to let their skipper leave the red-ball series, Sunil Gavaskar stated T Naratajan was in the exact similar situation like Kohli during the IPL playoffs but was not granted any leave away from the 22 yards.

Sunil Gavaskar parallels Virat Kohli’s situation to that of T Natarajan’s

“Another player who will wonder about the rules, but, of course, can’t make any noise about it as he is a newcomer. It is T. Natarajan” Gavaskar opined on his column on Sportstar.

“The left-arm yorker specialist who made an impressive debut in the T20 and had Hardik Pandya gallantly offering to share the man of the T20 series prize with him had become a father for the first time even as the IPL playoffs were going on.”

Natarajan, who stayed back in the UAE even after the birth of his daughter early November, directly flew to Australia replacing the injured Varun Chakravarthy, as Gavaskar laments the immaculate spinner will only be able to see his daughter after three months when the Test series concludes in January.

Natarajan is yet to meet his newborn daughter. (Image Courtesy: Twitter/@Natarajan_91)

He (Natarajan) was asked to stay on for the (Australia) Test series but not as a part of the team but as a net bowler. Imagine that,” Gavaskar went on, “He will thus return home only after the series ends in the third week of January and get to see his daughter for the first time then.”

“And there is the captain going back after the first Test for the birth of his first child,” the 71-year-old added.

ALSO READ: T Natarajan reveals the secret behind his smiling avatar on pitch

Ashwin has suffered for his forthrightness: Gavaskar

Furthermore, Gavaskar also drew mentioned Ravichandran Ashwin, asserting his “forthrightness” being detrimental to his career and how one bad spell sets the veteran down the team’s pecking order, which isn’t the same case for “established batsmen.”

Sunny continued, “For far too long Ashwin has suffered not for his bowling ability of which only the churlish will have doubts, but for his forthrightness and speaking his mind at meetings where most others just nod even if they don’t agree.”

“If Ashwin doesn’t take heaps of wickets in one game, he is invariably sidelined for the next one. That does not happen to established batsmen though,” Gavaskar acknowledged.

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