This is the third time since 2000 that Gavaskar has not been invited for key events in Aus
Sunil Gavaskar. Pic/AFP
Australia’s cricketing establishment has over the years earned considerable amount of kudos for the manner in which they run the game.
ADVERTISEMENT
But their handling of the presentation of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which concluded with Australia winning the silverware for their 3-1 triumph over India is a glaring exception.
To the dismay of cricket lovers, it was only Allan Border who presented the trophy to Pat Cummins at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday when the Test ended on the third day. Why was Sunil Gavaskar, a commentator during the five-Test series, not on stage to do the honours with Border, followers of the game wanted to know.
Not the first occurrence
This is not the first time that Gavaskar has been passed over by Cricket Australia (CA). It started way back in 2000 when he was part of a 20-member panel to select Australia’s Team of the Century. While he said that he had not received an invitation for the grand function held at Sydney’s Darling Harbour on January 18, 2000, a CA volunteer at the function which mid-day attended, insisted that they had extended an invitation.
Also Read: Prasidh, Siraj toil hard, but India fail to restrict Australia in decider
The last time Sunil Gavaskar (right) was at a Test series presentation in Australia — in 2015. Pic/Getty Images
When it came to being part of the 2018-19 presentation when India finally won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Australian soil, Gavaskar was doing television work in India, but could have made it to Australia had an invitation materialised.
Gavaskar told mid-day then that the only communication that CA had with him about the presentation was in May 2018 when then CEO James Sutherland spoke to him about his availability and nothing after that. Sutherland ended his 17-year stint with the board the following month. But Tim Whittaker, CA’s then Head of Communications, insisted that they had sent him two emails — one an invitation (in June) and the other, a follow-up in August.
Mails not disclosed to media
When mid-day asked Whittaker for screenshots of those two emails, he said: “We won’t be disclosing personal information to media outlets” and that Gavaskar could contact him, “should he wish to have the correspondence forwarded.”
Four years earlier, a last-minute invitation saw him hand over the trophy to Steve Smith for Australia’s 2014-15 triumph while Gavaskar was reportedly not invited for the 2007-08 presentation as well, which took place in Adelaide. Ajinkya Rahane had to pick up the 2020-21 trophy himself as the series was held in the midst of the Covid-19.
Meanwhile, the Indian batting legend told mid-day on Sunday: “It’s entirely up to the home board [CA in this case] to invite whom the trophy is named after, for the presentation. I was given to understand that this [only Border at the presentation] was because if Australia won then Allan Border would present the trophy. But if India won the Test and draw the series then I would be invited to present the trophy. That’s what I was told, that’s what happened. Australia won the Test match and won the series, so that’s how they had Allan Border despite the fact that I was on the ground. So while I don’t have an issue with that, I am only perplexed because the trophy is not named after one person. It is named after two persons and if both these persons are available then I think both should be called to present the trophy.”
Asked if he had any communication with CA, Gavaskar said, “No communication with CA because they had communicated to Channel 7 and they told me that this is the situation.”
CA said in a statement: “We acknowledge it would have been preferable if both Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar had been asked to go on stage.”
1996
The year when the Border-Gavaskar Trophy started
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
