'It has made a mockery of the drinks break' - Sunil Gavaskar lambasts a modern-day practice in cricket

Sunil Gavaskar has been someone who has never had any qualms in speaking his mind. The former India opener recently criticised a modern-day trend in cricket.

Gavaskar always emphasises the basics of the game. In the past, he has lashed out at batters for not sliding their bats into the crease while taking runs. He has also voiced his frustration on several occasions after the ICC decided to scrap the use of runners for injured batters.The former India captain has also been critical of batters on occasions when they have failed to convert ones into twos and twos into threes. He also doesn't like batters throwing away their wickets to reckless shots.

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Recently, Gavaskar pointed out how bowlers deliberately take 'drinks breaks' of their own in between an innings. It's become extremely common for fast bowlers to take refreshments while fielding near the boundary line, a practice that Gavaskar deplores severely.

"In cricket, the modern practice of bowlers, especially the quick ones, getting a refreshing drink on the boundary line where they go to field after completing their over is an example of the authorities turning a blind eye to the practice. Why have the drinks interval then if bowlers are going to get themselves hydrated after going flat out for six deliveries? Mind you, the batter doesn’t get the chance to have a drink after an over where they may have taken eight runs or so, which are all run," Gavaskar, who turned 75 years old on July 10, wrote in his column for Sportstar.

Gavaskar highlighted the importance of strength and endurance in the sport and urged the third umpires and match referees to take stern measures to stop the reserve players from carrying drinks onto the field every now and then.

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"Cricket is also a game where stamina and endurance matter no matter what the format is, so frankly, it should go back to the days when drinks were taken only after every hour of play and before that only with the permission of the opposition captain and umpires. Once the umpires looked the other way and allowed one bowler to do that, it became a trend, making a mockery of the drinks interval," he said.

"The third umpire and match referee should also ensure that the reserve player does not step onto the field to offer a drink to his teammate but stays outside the boundary line," he added.