“Country comes first, take rest during IPL matches”- Madan Lal slams Indian players for their lack of passion for the country
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Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, and Madan Lal
Former India all-rounder Madan Lal lashed out at the Indian players for their missing out on India matches due to injuries. Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja missed out on the T20 World Cup 2022 and won’t be available for the Bangladesh Test due to injury. Even India skipper Rohit Sharma suffered a thumb injury during the 2nd ODI against Bangladesh (which India lost by five runs) and was ruled out of the third ODI.
Rohit had said that India “can’t have guys coming in to play for the country half-fit.” Now Lal, in an interview with PTI, pointed out that “if the captain is saying this then something is wrong somewhere.”
Lal then straightaway displayed the disagreeableness on players opting out to rest during India matches but choosing to play in the Indian Premier League. He expressed his concerns about how cricket, if played with a lack of intensity, will go down if the team doesn’t win ICC trophies.
“If they want to take rest they can take rest during IPL matches. Your country comes first. If you are not going to win ICC trophies, your nation’s cricket is going to go down,” said the 1983 World Cup winner. He also added the current team isn’t looking like the Indian team because “that passion for playing for the country is missing. Either their bodies are too tired or they are just going through the motions.”
Madan Lal wants different players to play different formats
Madan Lal then pointed out the records of the senior players. He accepted that with age, hand-eye coordination slows down but as experienced players, “they should have performed,” highlighting the fact that the team isn’t going to win if the top-order doesn’t perform. He didn’t spare the bowling unit as well because “after 69 for 6, Bangladesh managed to score 271 (in the 2nd ODI).”
When he was asked if different players should play different formats, the 71-year-old said that every country is playing like that. “All countries are doing it and India should also do the same,” he asserted.
Playing all-cricket might be the reason of injuries, but Team India members have faced criticism for playing IPL matches but opting out of India matches to rest owing to hectic schedule. At present, a total of seven players are injured. They are- Rohit, Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Sen, Jadeja, and Harshal Patel.
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Gouri Das
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