Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has slammed the England commentators for their remarks on the Indian cricket team fans during the ongoing Ashes 2023. The commentators were left in shock as the England cricketers were seen cheering only when the Ben Stokes-led team played well.
Sunil Gavaskar calls out English commentators for favoritism
He also didn’t approve of the way some of the players from the visiting team were treated. Gavaskar slammed how the crowd wasn’t supporting or cheering for the Australians despite their brilliant performances.
For the unversed, in the ongoing series, the crowd in England was seen celebrating predominantly when the home team performs well. In fact, the England cricketers turned commentators have been consistently backing their own team to win, even when the Australian cricket team held a commanding position, winning the first two Tests.
Addressing the same issue, Sunil Gavaskar said it’s normal for local fans to support the home players, but to claim that it only happens in India isn’t correct. He said:
“It’s only natural that the crowds will support their own team and won’t cheer for the opponents, but to suggest that it only happens in India is ridiculous. This is not an Indian phenomenon; it happens in every country where home crowds remain silent when a boundary is hit against their bowlers or when their batters get out,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid Day.
He added: “Nowhere has it been more apparent than at the current Ashes series. What bugs is the condescending way, overseas commentators, when they come to India, keep saying how quiet the Indian crowd at the ground is when an Indian batter gets out or when an Indian bowler is hit for a boundary,” added the cricketer-turned-commentator.
England won the match to bring the equation to 2-1
Talking about the game, The England cricket team led by Ben Stokes kept the Ashes alive as Harry Brook slammed 75 runs before Chris Woakes and Mark Wood registered a stunning 3-wicket victory over Australia on day 4 of the 3rd Test match.
England’s successful case of 251 runs has now cut their deficit to 2-1 in the ongoing series. The Ashes looked to be slipping away when captain Ben Stokes (13) and Jonny Bairstow (5) were dismissed by Mitchell Starc (5-78) after lunch. The England side was reduced to 171-6 and still 80 runs away from their target.
