Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has called on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to place greater emphasis on player welfare by ensuring centrally contracted cricketers receive at least one month of uninterrupted rest every year. His remarks came after India completed a 3-0 ODI series sweep over Afghanistan, a schedule that followed closely on the heels of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
The legendary batter acknowledged the BCCI’s responsibility toward supporting developing cricket nations such as Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka through bilateral engagements. However, he stressed that the physical and mental well-being of Indian players should not be overlooked amid a packed international calendar.
“Yes, BCCI is like the elder brother to countries like Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Sri Lanka, and have always tried to help them grow on the field and boost their finances by touring these countries. However, our cricketers’ health and fitness are also crucial and there should be a clear month’s rest for our players in the year. India is blessed with talent and so you can rotate the players but that is cheapening the India cap. The cap mustn’t be given because a player replaces the undroppable player who is rested. It has to be earned,” he wrote in his column.
Gavaskar also questioned the growing trend of workload-based resting of senior players, arguing that India should field its strongest available side whenever possible.
“In the Test against Afghanistan who have been honest triers but nothing more, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul scored centuries, and Manav Suthar made an impressive debut. Jasprit Bumrah was rested but wouldn’t he have liked to have added a fifer or a tenfer to his career record against this team. When India is playing, then the best team must play, unless there are injuries of course. But this resting because of workload must be avoided as much as possible. Have a look at the calendar and you will see that India is playing every month somewhere or the other,” he added.
