NEW DELHI: Legendary Sunil Gavaskar's dedication and commitment to his profession has left former Indian batter and commentator Aakash Chopra in awe, with Chopra admitting that he could never match the same level of commitment Gavaskar possesses.
Chopra recounted his experiences during IPL 2020 and India's subsequent tour of Australia to underscore Gavaskar's remarkable work ethic.
The 2020 Indian Premier League was held in the United Arab Emirates from September to November, with strict COVID-19 protocols in place to safeguard all participants.
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Following the IPL, India traveled to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. While Chopra chose to skip the commentary assignment due to the stringent COVID-19 guidelines, Gavaskar stepped up and accepted the opportunity, exemplifying his dedication and professionalism.
"His commentary is at a different level. Main toh charan dho ke pee lunga unke (I will wash his feet and drink the water). I have not even played one-tenth of the matches he played, and my broadcasting career will also be in a similar ratio compared to his, but there are some things that I say I could not do," Aakash Chopra said on The Raunac Podcast.
"When the IPL was taking place in Dubai, we were all in the bio-bubble. After that, India was touring Australia. I too got an offer for commentary for the tour. I denied the offer as we had to go through a hard 15-day quarantine. It was such a hard quarantine that if you closed the door of your room, they even took the key with them. You could not walk out of the room. Somebody would knock on your door and leave the food on a plastic plate. Eat it and put the plate outside, and that is it," he added.
"After that, we had a Border-Gavaskar Trophy of four matches, which is a good six weeks. I was already staying in Dubai for the IPL, so I denied this offer. I put my hands up. Sunny ji did even that. I asked him, 'Sir, how could you do this?' He replied, 'It's okay. I enjoy doing this.' That is absolutely hats off. I can't think that I could do so much."
