Gavaskar’s 'BCCI lame ducks' comment gave him a tough time at home

Sunil Gavaskar on calling the selection committee ‘lame ducks’ and why he will now try to keep his emotions in check.

Sunil Gavaskar says that his emotional involvement in Indian cricket led him to recently call the national selection committee ‘lame ducks’. But the umpire at home wagged her finger at him — his wife Marshneil. “My wife, who is my biggest support, friend, cheerleader and also the occasional critic thinks it [the “lame duck” comment] was uncalled for,” Gavaskar wrote in an email to ETPanache from the US, where he is commentating on the ongoing India-West Indies series. “She also rightly feels that at this stage of our lives, we don’t need any negativity, so hereon I will try to keep my emotions in check when it comes to Indian cricket and let it take care of itself.”

Voicing his concern

The former Indian captain was displeased with the selectors because they allowed Virat Kohli to continue as captain for the West Indies tour without so much as a short meeting. A meeting was mandatory as Kohli’s previous term was only till the World Cup. ‘Lame ducks’ was also interpreted as a criticism of the average playing careers of the MSK Prasad-led selection committee.



“See, I am what I am because of Indian cricket. Without Indian cricket, I would be Nil and not Sunil,” the first man to score 10,000 Test runs wrote in the email, characteristically blending authority with self-deprecation. “I, therefore, speak when I feel that perhaps there’s a need to. It’s been more than a week since my column but while people have tried to get a reaction to the lame duck reference nobody has still asked why a meeting to select the captain did not take place. It may be a formality of five seconds, but it still must be done. When the BJP won the elections they still had a meeting to elect Shri [Narendra] Modi as the Prime Minister. That is protocol and it has to be followed.”

A long-lasting friendship
Gavaskar finds himself at an interesting point in his cricketing journey. Years of playing have been followed by years of analysis and commentary. A contemporary like Imran Khan has become the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Running parallel to an eventful season in Indian cricket are the ups and downs of India’s relations with Pakistan. Yet, the mutual respect shared by Gavaskar and Khan, two sporting and cultural titans from their respective regions, endures. Often, it manifests itself in their comments in interviews or on social media. In this email interaction, Gavaskar also answered questions about his equation with the former Pakistan captain.

“Is there an answer to how friendships are developed? Maybe mutual respect and admiration? Imran and I have known each since 1971 when we played against each other for the first time. He was qualifying for Worcestershire County and playing against the touring India team,” Gavaskar said. One important reason why the friendship has perhaps lasted is that its central figures have generally ignored the elephant in the room. “We have never discussed politics. So, I guess the to and fro [between the countries] didn’t affect us,” Gavaskar said. After the Pulwama attack though, Gavaskar did touch upon the subject and urged Imran to take two steps forward and show signs of a Naya Pakistan.

“I won’t even be presumptuous enough to think that he even saw it to react to it [my statement],” Gavaskar said. “I said what I felt and I still believe that if that happens then there’s a great chance that relations between the two countries will improve considerably.”