With just days to go before the Asia Cup 2025 kicks off in the UAE, Indian cricket has found itself at the center of yet another storm. The BCCI’s announcement of the 15 member squad with Suryakumar Yadav leading the charge and notable exclusions like Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal has ignited a nationwide debate.
Debates over team selection are nothing new in Indian cricket. From drawing rooms to newsrooms, from WhatsApp groups to primetime panels, selection always divides opinion. Sunil Gavaskar, though, expected the noise at home. What has irked him deeply is the chorus of voices rising from abroad.
The legendary “Little Master” did not mince his words. In his Sportstar column, Gavaskar launched a sharp attack on overseas ex-cricketers, accusing them of turning India’s cricket debates into their personal cash machines.
“What is baffling is foreigners who have zero stake in Indian cricket, and much less knowledge about it, wading into the debate and adding fuel to the fire. However great they may be as players, the selection of the Indian team is strictly none of their business. They should focus on their own cricket and let us Indians worry about ours.”
For Gavaskar, the hypocrisy is striking. When teams are picked in England, Australia, or South Africa, Indian legends rarely, if ever, pass judgment. “Have you ever heard Indian ex-cricketers talk about the selection of other countries’ teams? No. We mind our own business. So why butt your nose into ours?” he asked pointedly.
But the former India captain didn’t stop there. He went further, pulling back the curtain on what he sees as a social media hustle. According to him, many foreign pundits thrive on provoking Indian fans because nothing guarantees eyeballs, comments, and clicks quite like poking at Indian cricket.
“Today, in the days of public media, one of the fastest ways to get followers is by commenting on matters Indian. And mostly, they do it negatively, so there is a huge reaction from Indian keyboard users. That’s how so many overseas cricketers have made a living by needling Indian cricket lovers with their mostly negative comments.”
It was a searing observation, one that echoes the frustration of many Indian fans who feel their team is constantly under the microscope of outsiders. Gavaskar also turned the mirror inward, chastising sections of the Indian media for running behind long forgotten overseas names, almost as if validation from abroad is required.
“How often, on overseas tours, do we see Indian media chasing former players from the host country players whom even their own nation has forgotten just to get a quote on Indian cricket? It’s as if our cricket needs overseas approval. It does not.”
As India gears up to defend its crown under a new captain, the off-field noise is once again deafening. But Gavaskar’s words serve as both a warning and a reminder: Indian cricket, with all its passion and politics, belongs first and foremost to Indians. The rest, he suggests, can watch from the stands.
