With foreign experts giving their opinions on the Indian team combination, this has irked former Indian cricket team captain and 1983 Cricket World Cup winner Sunil Gavaskar.

On being asked a reply to former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Najam Sethi’s tweet where he posted that India is afraid to play Pakistan, Gavaskar got angry.

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“If you see the statements that come out from their side…sadly our media gives them the prominence. We have Pakistan players, and Australian players selecting the Indian team. How is it their concern? Do any Indian players go and select the Australian or the Pakistan team? It’s none of our business. But we allow that,” Sunil Gavaskar said on Sports Today.

“From there it’s always Babar is better than Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma; Shaheen Afridi is better than so and so. Inzamam-ul-haq is better than Sachin Tendulkar. For them, they are always better than us. That is the way they have to cater to their audience,” he added.

Gavaskar even suggested the media not give space to overseas experts who are commenting on Indian squad selection.

“Don’t give them space in your papers. You have a South Africa saying a player should be in your team. You have an Australian saying. It happens too often. They say who should bat at no. 3 or no. 4. C’mon, we don’t need your advice,” Sunil Gavaskar said.

As per the details, The Indian team will be led by batter Rohit Sharma, and all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be his deputy, in the 15-member squad for the ODI World Cup 2023, announced on Tuesday.

The team also includes KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, who have just returned from injuries, while Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma were left out.

Here’s Team India’s World Cup 2023 squad:

Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav

Updated: 08 Sep 2023, 06:51 PM IST