August 10, 2026

Gavaskar's Lament That He Will Be Accused Of Regionalism Shows The True Face Of Indian Society

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2020-12-27 15:13:18

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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

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It is a reflection of the deep-seated regionalism that still exists in India, especially in cricketing matters, that a person as experienced and knowledgeable as Sunil Gavaskar fears that his comments about the brilliant captaincy displayed by Mumbai player Ajinkye Rahane as captain of India on the first day of the second Test against the Aussies are likely to be misinterpreted. Gavaksar, himself a Mumbaikar, said that his genuine praise for Rahane could be interpreted as a Mumbaikar rooting for a fellow Mumbaikar.

This is very unfortunate. Sunil Gavaskar was a former Indian captain and a great player who served the country well. As commentator, Gavaskar has never displayed any bias and has always had the good of Indian cricket at heart. His praise and criticism for any player has always been genuine and he has never shown partiality towards Mumbaikars or any other players. He has always been forthright in his comments and has stepped on some famous toes in the past.

But if anyone accuses Gavaskar of being biased towards Mumbai players for his genuine praise of Rahane's captaincy then that person does not have any understanding of cricket and does not have the good of Indian cricket at heart. And why only Gavaskar, almost all former Indian players and many from abroad, especially Ricky Ponting, have effusively praised Rahane's captaincy. Anyone who watched the game that day saw how involved Rahane was in making bowling changes and setting the field in order to keep up the pressure on the Aussies.

It was an Indian player, given the chance to lead the team in the absence of the regular skipper, who was doing his duty to the best of his ability. It was an Indian who was trying to rally the team behind him to erase the memory of the shameful collapse for 36 runs in the second innings of the first Test. It was an Indian who was showing the world that this team is worth much more than 36 runs and that was once in a lifetime happening that won't be repeated. It was an Indian who was not letting the Aussies gain an upper hand. If anyone thinks Gavaskar praising Rahane is because he is a Mumbaikar before first being an Indian, he or she is doing a great disservice to the nation.