'If Any Big Name Thinks That India Won't Win Without Him': Sunil Gavaskar Gives Example of Series Win vs Australia and England

Sunil Gavaskar. (BCCI Photo)

Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar drew comparisons between India’s series win over in Australia and at home against England.

In the 2020-21 series against Australia, India wre thrashed after being bowled out for their lowest-ever Test score of 36. Virat Kohli, who was the India captain then, flew back to India for the birth of his first child. The likes of Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari all suffered injuries but youngsters Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur stepped up. India went on to clinch the series 2-1.

In the series versus England, Kohli took time out to be with his family for the birth of his second child. India lost the first match in Hyderabad. Youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel stepped up in the absense of some of seniors.

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“India missed a lot of big names in Australia but they still managed to pull off a fantastic win not just in Gabba but also in Melbourne. They came back after being bowled out for 36. Winning in Melbourne then they battled hard to save the Sydney Test match. If Rishabh Pant stayed on the crease for half an hour then India could have won that match as well. But the courage, stamina, grit and determination that the young Indian players showed during that Australia tour was visible even this time around against England,” Sunil Gavaskar was quoted as saying on Sports Tak.

Sunil Gavaskar went on to fire a warning that any individual, without naming names, who think India can’t without them, the wins over Australia and England are the perfects answers.

“That’s why I always say, you don’t need big names… If any big name thinks that India won’t win without him these two series have shown that whether you are there or not (it doesn’t matter). Cricket is a team sport. It doesn’t depend on one individual,” Gavaskar said.

Gavaskar also praised captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid for guiding the youngsters, saying: “Credit must go to the way captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid have managed the team. They gave chances to the young players, moulded them, and encouraged them to play their natural game. This shows that whether we have big names or not, if we have players with big hearts then we can win.”