Sunil Gavaskar (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

Former Indian cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar criticised the Indian batting performance after their 30-run defeat against South Africa in the first Test match at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. India failed to chase a target of 124 runs, giving South Africa a 1-0 lead in the two-Test Freedom Trophy series. The team played with 10 batters as captain Shubman Gill had to leave the field due to neck issues.Gavaskar pointed out that the lack of domestic cricket participation was the main reason behind India’s batting collapse.“A lot of our players do not play domestic cricket. If you play domestic cricket, you will get to play on such pitches, right? Because even at the domestic level, teams are trying to get the points so that they qualify for the knockouts of the Ranji Trophy, which means that there will be pitches where the ball will grip and turn a little bit,” the batting legend told Sports Tak.“But none of our players are playing that. None of our current players. How many of our current players actually deign to go down and play Ranji Trophy?”The legendary cricketer expressed concern about players avoiding domestic cricket, citing workload management. He suggested that team management should consider selecting players who actively participate in Ranji Trophy matches. “No, they don’t because there’s this word called workload. Workload is the word. They don’t want to play. They don’t want to play. They only want to play in the Ranji Trophy if they are out of form. Otherwise, they don’t want to play. So that is the answer. Maybe you want to look at, you know, preparing a pitch where the ball will grip and turn a little bit. Then you want to pick guys who are playing domestic cricket. We do not really want to play guys who are playing international cricket because they don’t have the practice against such kind,” he added.The second Test of the series will be crucial for India as they look to level the series after their disappointing performance in Kolkata.The team’s batting collapse in their pursuit of a modest target has raised concerns about their ability to handle challenging pitch conditions.Gavaskar’s comments highlight the growing disconnect between domestic and international cricket in India, where established players often skip Ranji Trophy matches.The emphasis on workload management has become a contentious issue, with senior players frequently opting out of domestic cricket commitments.