Gavaskar highlighted the security modern Indian captains enjoy, expressing concerns about the lack of scrutiny they face despite poor performances.
India has emerged as an exceptionally successful Test team in recent years, displaying remarkable performances during overseas tours and exhibiting unparalleled dominance at home. Nevertheless, the team has faced criticism due to their consecutive losses in two World Test Championship finals as both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma failed to secure victory on those occasions.
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar has now joined the voices calling for greater accountability from team captains and coaches. In an interview with the Indian Express, Gavaskar highlighted the security modern Indian captains get, expressing concerns about the lack of scrutiny they face despite poor performances.
“Whether you win or lose, the captain knows that he is going to be there. This has not been a recent case, mind you. This has been happening since 2011. There have been results where we have been wiped out in the series 0-4, 0-4 but the captain hasn’t changed,” said the India legend during the IE Idea Exchange.
This scrutiny perhaps extends to MS Dhoni, who captained the team during the disastrous tours of England and Australia in the 2011/12 season. Although Dhoni had earlier led India to victory in the World Cup, the Test team suffered comprehensive defeats against their hosts, despite holding the top ranking in the world at that time.
The tours proved to be one-sided affairs, with England and Australia both inflicting 4-0 whitewashes on India, leading to dismal performances from the Indian players.
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Dhoni remained the leader of the red-ball team until 2014 when Virat Kohli took over as captain during that year’s tour of Australia. Under Kohli’s captaincy, there were notable achievements, including two series victories in Australia, success in England, and an impressive record at home. However, during the series in South Africa in 2021/22, Kohli was replaced by Rohit Sharma.
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