‘Could possibly end a few international careers’ - Sunil Gavaskar's stern warning to India cricketers ahead of ODI World Cup

India haven't won a single ICC trophy in over a decade now and as per Sunil Gavaskar, if they once again fail to do so in the upcoming ODI World Cup, few of the cricketers may never get an opportunity to represent the national team.

The former cricketer once again pointed out that it is very important for all the players to play every series going forward and not hamper their preparation ahead of the global event. Notably, the 73-year-old previously bashed Virat Kohli for missing three Test matches in the 2020-21 season of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy while he recently called out Indian skipper Rohit Sharma for missing the first ODI against Australia (March 17) due to family commitments.

“In a World Cup year any match missed means preparation gets hampered as the balance of the team gets affected. Another failure to win a World Cup will have repercussions that could possibly end a few international careers and that should be a red flag for those talking burnout and missing games for India,” wrote Gavaskar in his column for Mid-day.

I feel that Indian cricket is to become more professional: Gavaskar

The 1983 World Cup winner also called upon the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to examine workload management of the players. Gavaskar feels that players are taking off very often and that's hampering the growth of Indian cricket. He asked the cricketers to be more professional and questioned how players were content with missing India games.

“I honestly feel that the BCCI needs to look into this concept of rest. All the Grade A cricketers have received very good contracts. They receive payment for every match. Tell me if there is any company whose CEO, or MDs get so much time off? I feel that if Indian cricket is to become more professional, a line needs to be drawn. If you want to be rested, you need to reduce your guarantees. Then you take rest, because you don't want to play. But how can anyone say that I don't want to play for the Indian team. Which is why I do not agree to the concept," Gavaskar added.