After painful World Cup final defeat, THESE distractions helped Indian fans move on according to Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar said no one cared about the 5 match T20I series between India and Australia as they were more invested in the IPL trade window.

After painful World Cup final defeat, THESE distractions helped Indian fans move on according to Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar (Image via Philip Brown)

India had one of their best World Cup campaigns before they lost in the finals to Australia. The 10 game period where they failed to lose a single game got fans passionate about the game, but became disinterested after the finals loss. Sunil Gavaskar claims the IPL and it’s transfer windows helped fans move on.

Gavaskar, writing for Mid-Day, said many fans were disinterested in the T20 series apart from the staunch cricket fans. He said the casual fans returned to cricket thanks to the IPL auction and the trade window. 

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The big boys from both teams (India and Australia) were not playing anyway, so there was no compelling reason to watch the T20 series after two months of top-class ODI cricket. Instead, there was much more intrigue and interest in the transfer and trade, which was to be done within that week's deadline. Who was going to be transferred, who was going to be released, who was going where, was what the Indian fan was looking at. 
Sunil Gavaskar on Mid-day

Gavaskar claimed the rumors of Hardik Pandya returning to Mumbai Indians left many fans excited and intrigued. He added that fans now worried about how their teams would perform in the upcoming IPL auction, moving on from India’s loss in the World Cup finals. 

Sunil Gavaskar believes Rishabh Pant should play 2024 T20 World Cup

After confirmation of Rishabh Pant’s return to the IPL came out, many people couldn’t wait to see him back. While most fans were just happy with the 26-year-old returning to cricket, Sunil Gavaskar believes he should be in the 2024 T20 World Cup squad. 

Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant last played for India in December 2022 (Image via ESPN)

Gavaskar implied that he should return as long as he doesn’t suffer any injuries during the 2024 IPL. He further added that Pant is a game-changer, with his ability to shift the momentum of a match with his knocks. Gavaskar said if he was a selector, Pant would be one of his first picks. 

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