West Indies Cricket Will Suffer for Pulling Out of India Tour: Sunil Gavaskar to NDTV

Following West Indies' dramatic pull out of the India tour due to a payment dispute with its cricket board, former Indian skipper and NDTV expert Sunil Gavaskar said that West Indies cricket could suffer repercussion of their decision to quit midway through the tour after the fourth ODI as many other boards will now think many times before playing against them. West Indies were scheduled to play five ODIs, one-off T20I and three Tests. ('BCCI shocked')

"What has happened [the pullout] is unprecedented. It's not something that happens everyday. I think it is going to be a difficult issue to address for cricketing community. The dispute between West Indies players and its board is an ongoing one and hasn't been solved. So, a a lot of cricket boards will think many times before scheduling a series with the West Indian side," Gavaskar told NDTV. (WICB slam Dwayne Bravo after dramatic pullout)

After a lot of speculation, West Indies decided to pull the plug on the India series after playing in the fourth ODI at Dharamsala. While doing hindi commentary during the match, Gavaskar had said, "West Indies are in no mood to play. When the mind refuses to do anything, it becomes difficult to perform," said Gavaskar, adding: "West Indian approach and attitude were unprofessional." (West Indies pullout unfortunate: Sourav Ganguly)

He reiterated the fact that the West Indies players were not giving their 100 percent on the field and criticised them, saying, "I think the way they fielded, it didn't look like their heart was in their game. You might have a dispute with your board or authorities, but you have to play for own personal pride. That was disappointing."

Gavaskar also sympathised with the cricket fans who turned up to watch a competitive match in Dharamsala.

"Dharamsala is a place which doesn't get matches regularly so it was unfortunate that the fans didn't get to witness a competitive game. If the West Indies were totally committed and focused, it may have been a totally different game."

Talking about the ramifications of the pullout on West Indies players' participation in the Indian Premier League, Gavaskar said, "The dramatic end to the series may change the way West Indies players' participation in the IPL is looked at."

Gavaskar however, remained optimistic and added, "IPL is six to eight months away so things could change by then. The West Indian cricketers are loved all over the world and they have contributed brilliantly to their franchises. It will be very tough for the franchises to take it out on the West Indies players."

Talking about India's performance and Virat Kohli's return to form, Gavaskar said, "He played well but he has got a bigger test awaiting him in Australia. He did well the last time he was there so there is a hope that he can continue that."

After the West Indies series was brought to an abrupt end, Sri Lanka accepted India's invitation to play a five-match ODI series, starting on November 1.