NEW DELHI: After legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar slammed overseas cricketers for making comments on India's Asia Cup squad selection, former Australian wicket-keeper Brad Haddin responded to the remarks made by the India great.
Haddin and other overseas players questioned the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer from India's 15-member squad - a stance that did not sit well with Gavaskar, who pointed out that those with less knowledge of the matter should not jump into the debate.
Haddin argued that his experience of working with Indian players in the IPL has brought overseas cricketers closer to them, which is why they feel comfortable expressing their views on developments in Indian cricket.
"I am glad he is listening to the show. We are going worldwide," said Haddin on LiSTNR YouTube channel.
"Our job is to give an opinion on what's topical in world cricket. That's what we do. We coached him (Iyer) in the IPL and I stand by my take. I was shocked that he wasn't in the squad and I am not saying the other players (selected) shouldn't be there. The reason I say that is because just the way he handled our group, he was a great leader and the way he played under pressure, leading from the front. But, yeah, they are obviously going well even with players like him on the sideline," Haddin said.
"What is baffling is foreigners who have zero stake in Indian cricket, and much less knowledge about it, wading into the debate and adding fuel to the fire. However great they may be as players and however many times they may have been to India, the selection of the Indian team is strictly none of their business," Gavaskar wrote in his column for The Sportstar.
Gavaskar pointed out the double standard: these foreign ex-players rarely comment on their own national teams' selections, so it's unfair and unnecessary for them to comment on India. He emphasises that Indians handle their cricket independently and outsiders should "mind their own business."
"They should focus on their country's cricket and let us Indians worry about our cricket. Amazingly, when their country's teams are selected, there's hardly anything, if ever, heard from them about the selection. It's almost as if the selection is perfect and they have no comments to make. So, why butt your nose into the selection of the Indian team? Have you ever heard Indian ex-cricketers talk about the selection of other countries' teams? No, we mind our own business, and seriously couldn't be bothered by who they choose or who they don't select."
