'Giving option to train is..': Sunil Gavaskar slams Team India for 'optional' practice session ahead of Pakistan clash

Team India held an optional practice session in Melbourne two days before the much-anticipated T20 World Cup match against Pakistan. Because it was an optional session, not every player was required to participate. Sunil Gavaskar was displeased with the fact that it was an optional session, and he chastised the Men in Blue for it.

Gavaskar told India Today that giving players the option to train is a no-no. "I'm not sure what it means, but it's not something I agree with. I disagree with that for the simple reason that, at the outset of the tournament, when your match (warm-up match) washed out, when you arrived in Melbourne and had a day off, and then chose not to train the next day?" Gavaskar saId.

"At the end of the day, those who didn’t come out for practice can turn out to be match-winners. But you want a rhythm going as a team. You want to see a sense of purpose. Giving the option to the players is a no-no. There never ever should be that option. Only the captain and the coach should be taking that call. How many times it has affected Indian cricket is unbelievable."

"At the start of the tournament? In the middle of the tournament, you are on a roll, you have done really well, you give everybody a break. You go to a cinema, go wherever to take their mind off cricket. But at the start of the tournament, optional practice?

"Giving an option is something I believe only the captain and the coach should be doing. Say, if you scored a hundred in the previous game and you have a small niggle, the captain and the coach can give you the option of not practicing and say ‘if you don't want to come to practice, it's fine'. Similarly with a bowler, who has bowled maybe 20-30 overs and feeling a sore shoulder or something, then the captain and the coach can give that bowler the option of not coming for training.

"Maybe on the eve of the match, they might all turn up (for practice). But that's not it. I want to show that solidarity of purpose ‘look we want to win. Tomorrow if it rains, what happens? Your practice is gone," Gavaskar added.

It is unclear which players did not attend the session. The session included India captain Rohit Sharma and senior batsman Virat Kohli. Rohit was seen ready to face left-arm pacers, while Kohli was aiming to maximize the session.

There is a high chance of rain before the game, and it was raining heavily in Melbourne only a few hours ago. Still, supporters will be hopeful that the rain holds off and they can see at least a 5-over game. More than 1 lakh people are expected to attend the headline contest at the MCG.

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