'Having Been Bought for Crores, Some of These Youngsters Lose The Fire in Belly': Sunil Gavaskar After IND's Defeat vs WI

Batting great Sunil Gavaskar feels that the young Indian players faced a tough challenge in transitioning during the West Indies T20Is as the visitors ended up losing the series 2-3. It was a below-par batting performance from India in the series as openers failed to give them a good start apart from the fourth T20Is. As a result, India looked on backfoot throughout the series while batting as apart from Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav, other batters failed miserably in the Caribbean and Florida conditions.

West Indies managed to expose the Indian batting as the visitors were without their star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Gavaskar suggested that it’s not necessary that a player who did well in franchise cricket will replicate the same at the international level.

“A player could do well at the franchise level, but when it comes to playing for the country, it’s a different ball game of pressures and expectations. It is one step up, which can be too steep for even some of the best performers at the franchise level. How often have we seen this when the Under-19 performers just aren’t able to take that one step up from a boys’ tournament to a men’s competition?” Gavaskar wrote for Sportstar.

Gavaskar emphasised that senior-level cricket is a completely different ball game as compared to franchise cricket or under-19 level.

“Yes, the kids look great playing against kids, but when they come up against the men, they suddenly find that what looks like a piece of cake at the under-19 level is more like mud at the senior level. That’s why so many who looked good at the boys’ level have been found wanting at the senior level. It’s not just the temperament; even the skill set is way below the standard required at the franchise level,” he wrote.

The legendary batter further criticised some youngsters for losing the fire in the belly after bagging big contracts in IPL.

“Then, having been bought for crores, some of these youngsters lose the fire in the belly and are happy to cruise along in later years and get their contracts extended, even if it is for a lesser amount,” he added.