Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar offered appropriate statements to the former England captain Nasser Hussain, who criticized India and the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the heated moments with Bangladesh. Gavaskar gave Hussain a gentle reminder of what the England cricket team did a few years ago.
Gavaskar, in his column for Sportstar, addressed England for multiple reasons. The cricket great reckoned with the massive talent of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and took a dig at England as well.
Sunil Gavaskar praised Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Fourteen-year-old top-order batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi registered a blistering 175 off 80 balls, the highest individual score in a U19 World Cup final, as India piled up 411 and went on to reclaim the title with a commanding 100-run win. Behind India U-19’s win in the summit clash, there is no doubt that the young prodigy played the main role.
“In the just-concluded final of the ICC Under-19 World Cup, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed 175 off only 80 balls against England and single-handedly took the game away from his opponents. To England’s credit, they responded well and also got to 311 in reply to the Indian colts’ 411,” Gavaskar wrote in his column.
Nasser Hussain put a finger on India and ICC
But the focal point of Gavaskar’s column is his views on Nasser Hussain’s comments on the BCCI-Bangladesh standoff. The former England cricket believed that if it were Team India in place of Bangladesh, then the ICC might not be able to take the final call so swiftly. As Bangladesh did not want to travel in India to play their T20 World Cup 2026 match, ICC removed the Bangladesh cricket team from the tournament.
“If India, a month before a tournament, said, ‘Our government does not want us to play in a country for a World Cup,’ would the ICC have been so firm and said, ‘You know the rules, bad luck, we’re knocking you out?'” Hussain raised the question during a Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.
“The only thing all sides ask for is consistency. Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India must be treated the same. Yes, India fans may say, ‘Cry more, we have the money!’ But with power comes responsibility,” he further added.
Gavaskar shut the former England captain’s mouth
In reply, Gavaskar mentioned a 2003 World Cup incident when the England cricket team refused to travel to Zimbabwe not because of security concerns but because of political reasons. Then, ICC approved the England cricket team’s plea.
“In the 2003 World Cup, England refused to play in Zimbabwe, perhaps because they did not like the face of the then-President Robert Mugabe announcing his policies. There was no security threat, yet they forfeited their points. Did the ICC do anything? No, because at that stage, the English and Australian boards ruled the roost, and the others did not want to upset them,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote.
