Sunil Gavaskar shoots Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma

Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has jumped into the ongoing discussion about why Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin suddenly retired early from Test cricket under Gautam Gambhir’s regime.

This debate resurfaced after India’s Test whitewash at home against South Africa, and Sunil Gavaskar yet again defended Gautam Gambhir.

After India suffered a massive 408-run defeat in the second Test to lose the Test series 0-2 to South Africa in Guwahati, Ravichandran Ashwin claimed that he, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli were unsure about their future in the Test team, and that’s why they took the harsh call.

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Ravichandran Ashwin blames Gautam Gambhir for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's Test retirement

This made many fans believe that the Indian cricket team management did not give the senior players clear communication, which pushed them towards retirement. Some even argued that India’s whitewash against South Africa might have turned out differently if they were still playing.

Read Also: BCCI announce new series with Sri Lanka after India abandon Bangladesh

Ravichandran Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel, “There must be a certain pathway for transition. When there is no clarity, it becomes an individualistic decision. Virat could have groomed players. Rohit could have done that. I could have done that. I have always spoken about the importance of knowledge transfer. It has never been our strength.”

However, Sunil Gavaskar does not agree with Ashwin’s views. The former Indian captain believes that the retirements were completely personal decisions taken by Rohit, Kohli, and Ashwin, and the management should not be blamed for it.

Sunil Gavaskar slams Ravichandran Ashwin's retirement blame game

The legendary batter and well-known broadcaster Sunil Gavaskar also pointed out that even when Ashwin, Kohli, and Rohit were active, the Indian team was whitewashed by New Zealand at home, and then they also lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.

Sunil Gavaskar said on Aaj Tak, “No, the call to take retirements must have been their call. Probably, they might have been asked to consider their future. But we can't say that had they been here, we would have won. They were there when we lost to New Zealand.”

Gavaskar added, “What happened when they were there? We lost 0-3, no? Then what happened in Australia? We should not be thinking on these lines. No, we can't be thinking about whether we pushed them to retirement. That is the wrong way to approach this.”

Read Also: BCCI angered by Gautam Gambhir's loudmouth nature, strict action in the offing

All eyes on Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli as India prepare for South Africa

Notably, Ashwin retired from Test cricket in the middle of the Australia tour, while Rohit and Virat called time on their Test careers before the England tour earlier this year. However, Ashwin retired from all forms of the game, including IPL, a few months back.

On the other hand, Rohit and Kohli are currently preparing for the upcoming three-match ODI series against South Africa starting on November 30 in Ranchi.

They were last seen in action on the Australia tour, and now they will be aiming to continue their form against South Africa.

The first ODI will be held on November 30 at JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi, followed by the second ODI on December 3 at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur and the third and final ODI on December 6 at Dr Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam.