Former India cricketer Karsan Ghavri has expressed his disappointment with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill for not seeking advice from legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar. Ghavri pointed out that while many cricket greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Virender Sehwag regularly consulted Gavaskar for batting guidance during their careers, the current generation seems to overlook this valuable resource. Ghavri, who once played alongside Gavaskar, finds it unfortunate that today’s players tend to ignore the veteran’s expertise instead of benefiting from his advice. He noted that foreign players frequently approach Gavaskar for insights, but Indian players appear to have little interest in listening to him.
Speaking on the Vickey Lalwani Show, Ghavri said, “Gavaskar has been doing commentary for the last 25 years. His comments are so precious to any young player. It’s very unfortunate that our own players don’t go to him for any advice. Even players from outside go to him. Every Indian batter should go to him, including Shubman Gill. I don’t know whether he’s gone to him or not, but if he hasn’t, he should. Somewhere, it would have come in the media – that Sunil Gavaskar has advised Virat Kohli, or Rohit Sharma or Shubman Gill something – but we never got to hear any such thing.”
Ghavri also believes that Gavaskar is not given the respect he deserves by current players. He emphasized that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, in particular, should hold a great man like Gavaskar in high regard. Ghavri contrasted Gavaskar’s style of criticism with that of former coach Ravi Shastri, stating, “It is nonsense. You may be Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli. They must respect the great man. Because if he tells you something or is advising you on something, that is for their own good. Ravi Shastri is an open-hearted guy. When it comes to criticising somebody, he will do it, but Sunil does it in a very different manner. He is known for saying things totally different to Ravi Shastri.”
This commentary comes in the wake of reports that Rohit Sharma had lodged a complaint with the BCCI regarding Gavaskar’s harsh criticism of him during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 against Australia. Gavaskar had openly criticized Rohit’s batting after a series of poor performances in the five-Test series.
