Asked why selectors in India cannot be more on the lines of their counterparts in Australia where greats are asked to leave, Gavaskar explained that there was a difference in cricketing cultures. "Because our cricketing culture is different from the Australian cricketing culture or the South African. We have a situation where we respect our senior cricketers and do not want to push them out. We want to give them a graceful exit. You may call the Australian system ruthless but I think there is merit in every system," he said.
India lost the second Test on Monday, by 10 wickets but when asked if it was time for Sachin to step aside and make way for a younger player, Gavaskar said in such a case, time was also right for many more changes. "If results are the way you are going to look at it then time has come for a whole set of changes in the team, not just dropping one person."
Speaking on NDTV's Left, Right and Centre, Gavaskar said there were other batsmen too who failed to score against England in Mumbai and to single out Sachin was slightly unfair. "Even Virat Kohli did not score in the two Tests. Is anybody questioning him? Even MS Dhoni did not score. Why single out Sachin all the time. We are all the time finding faults with just one person. We tend to pick on Sachin Tendulkar and I don't think that's quite the right thing to do," he said.
Gavaskar though admitted that Sachin's recent form is a cause for worry but he could do well in the remaining two Tests. "It is a cause for worry. It is a cause for worry because he has scored so prolifically in the previous seasons. But then if he has scored so prolifically in the previous seasons, he could still do it in the remaining Test matches." (Watch: Gavaskar's views on Sachin begins at 2.47)
Leave Sachin Tendulkar alone: Gavaskar to NDTV
Advertisement