'Aussies do not look down their noses at us natives' - Sunil Gavaskar mentions IPL as he slams England

Sunil Gavaskar has been absolutely ecstatic with India’s thumping win over England in the recently-concluded five-match Test series. The former India skipper, who never shies away from criticizing England, took a dig at the tourists even before the series started.

Taking a dig at England and their media’s obsession with Indian pitches, he had said: ‘In about three weeks time another Test series starts with a country that has the biggest whining and moaning media in sport. Anything that doesn’t suit their team will be criticized and allegations will fly thick and fast.

To England and their media’s credit, they did not complain about the pitch at all as all the five pitches used during the series were sporting ones. However, it has not stopped Sunil Gavaskar from rubbing more salt on their wounds. Calling the defeat ‘a walloping’, the legendary batsman said that it was ‘great fun’ to see an Indian team filled with youngsters demolish an England team that came to India with their usual superiority complex.

“What a walloping, what great fun to watch a young India team demolish an England team that had arrived in India with the usual ‘we are doing you a favour’ attitude that brings a smirk on the faces of those Indian officials who go to receive them at various airports,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for The Sportstar.

Sunil Gavaskar takes a dig at England players’ IPL failure:

Writing further, Sunil Gavaskar linked England and their media’s hostility towards India to their lack of success in the Indian Premier League, unlike the Australians. While Australian players as well as coaches have remained in high demand in the IPL right from the start, the same cannot be said about the England players. In fact, the ECB was not even willing to let the players play the IPL in the initial years.

“The Aussies have been invariably better, looking to adapt themselves to the culture and not look down their noses at us natives. It also helps that the Aussies recognize a golden goose when they see one, and the IPL is certainly a humongous golden goose.

“Not only do Aussie players, some so memorably described by Kevin Pietersen as second or third-grade cricketers, go for astronomical amounts, but there are also Aussie coaches, physios, trainers, and anybody who is their golf and beer buddy in the IPL coaching staff, making more money than they do at home,” Gavaskar wrote.

“That is also the reason why the England and Indian players get into verbal skirmishes so often when they are playing against each other. Not a lot of England players are picked in the IPL, mainly because they can be withdrawn by their Board anytime for a preparation camp or something, which leaves the franchises in a lurch,” he added.

As far as the Test series is concerned, India won it with a handsome margin of 4-1. The hosts lost the first Test before winning the following four Tests.