Sunil Gavaskar Answers Pakistan’s “Bullying” Claim With Clear Facts

Sunil Gavaskar, the captain of India has given a strong response to Pakistans claim that India and the BCCI are bullying them. He said that India always takes the step when it comes to sports and cultural exchanges.. Pakistan rarely invites Indians to visit their country. Sunil Gavaskar used examples from cricket and the Indian Premier League and also from films and music to make his point. He thinks that Pakistan is just making an excuse when they say India is bullying them. Sunil Gavaskar believes this is not true and that India is always willing to be friends with Pakistan, through sports and culture.

Sunil Gavaskar, the captain of the India cricket team is really upset about what Pakistan is saying. Pakistan says that India is being mean to them in world cricket.. Sunil Gavaskar does not think that is true. He says that if you look at what happened you will see that India has always tried to be friends, with other countries, including Pakistan. India wants to get along with Pakistan. Pakistan does not always want to do the same thing. Sunil Gavaskar thinks that India has always tried to make things better. Pakistan has mostly not done that.

The problem started when the Government of Pakistan said that the Pakistan team will not play against the India team in the T20 World Cup. We were all looking forward to the Group A match that is supposed to happen on February 15 in Colombo.. With only a few days left before the tournament begins nobody knows for sure if the match will really happen. The Pakistan Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif said that the Pakistan team will not play because they want to support the Bangladesh team after the Bangladesh team was removed from the tournament. The T20 World Cup is a deal and everyone is talking about the Pakistan team and the India team and whether they will play each other.

Soon after they made this decision the former Pakistan Cricket Board chief, Najam Sethi said he liked the move. He said the Board of Control for Cricket in India or BCCI has been treating Pakistan badly for a time. Najam Sethi thinks that Pakistan has finally found the time to take a stand and make things fair, in world cricket and that Pakistan cricket is doing the right thing by standing up to the BCCI. The Pakistan Cricket Board is taking a step and Pakistan cricket will benefit from it.

Gavaskar does not think this is true all. He talked to India Today. Said that Pakistans claim of being bullied is not real. Gavaskar said India has always made the move and this is not just about cricket it is also about people from India and Pakistan sharing things like music and dance. Lots of singers actors and performers have been to Pakistan but India has not gotten the same treatment from Pakistan. Gavaskar thinks India has always been kind to Pakistan. Pakistan has not been as kind, to India.

So they asked Gavaskar if he would go to Pakistan for commentary if they invited him. Gavaskar said it is really simple. Indians are never invited to Pakistan in the first place.

He said that a long time ago before Pakistan and India had problems Indian singers and film stars were rarely asked to perform in Pakistan. Gavaskar said Pakistan always wants India to invite them to things. Pakistan does not invite Indians to things in return. Pakistan just expects India to invite people but Pakistan does not do the same for Indians.

Gavaskar said that India always tries to be friendly. India is the one who makes the move, in sports and in cultural things. That is why Gavaskar thinks it is not fair to say India is being mean. He said “India is not mean, to anyone”. He also said “India just does its thing”.

Gavaskar wanted to make a point so he talked about the Premier League. He said that when the Indian Premier League first started in 2008 it was great for players. They were treated well. A lot of teams in the Premier League had players from Pakistan. The Indian Premier League also had commentators. Gavaskar said this shows that India never tried to keep the Premier League and Pakistan separate, in the past. The Indian Premier League and Pakistan used to work just fine.

India and Pakistan do not have relations today. However India always tried to keep doors open in the past. Gavaskar thinks that Pakistan did not make the effort to stay connected with India. If you look at history it is clear that India made an effort to stay connected with Pakistan. India always tried to keep the doors open, for Pakistan.

When someone asked Gavaskar about the bullying accusation he said it is a word to say. If someone says they were bullied they should give us some examples of what happened. Gavaskar thinks that everything, about these tournaments is planned out ahead of time. He brought up the Champions Trophy. Said that India had already decided they would not go to Pakistan so their matches were played in Dubai instead. People knew about this decision a time before the tournament even started. Gavaskar and the bullying accusation are still being talked about. Gavaskar says that the bullying accusation is just an easy thing to say.

Gavaskar said that bullying is something he just does not get in this situation. He thinks people are using the word bullying to cover up issues. Gavaskar feels that if someone really thinks they are being bullied they should stand up for themselves in an clear way they should not make excuses, for what is happening to them. Gavaskar believes that standing up to bullying is the way to deal with bullying.

Gavaskar had spoken out against Pakistan too when they pulled out of the India match at the very last minute. The India match was a deal and Pakistan just backed out. Gavaskar said this kind of thing sends the message to everyone. It is an example for other teams to follow. Gavaskar also said that if the rules are broken the ICC has reasons to think about taking strong action, against Pakistan. The ICC has to consider what to do when rules are broken and Gavaskar thinks they should take action.

In the end, Gavaskar’s message was simple. Claims and emotions aside, facts matter. And according to him, the facts clearly show that India has tried to include Pakistan many times, not bully them.