NEW DELHI: BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla expressed strong disapproval towards Cricket Australia for not including Sunil Gavaskar in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy presentation following the Sydney Test. Shukla emphasised that the esteemed trophy carries the names of both Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border.
On Sunday, despite his direct connection to the trophy, Gavaskar was missing from the presentation ceremony.
The omission took place after Australia’s victory at the Sydney Cricket Ground, which marked their first series win in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in a decade.
Social media users, including commentator Neil Mitchell, voiced their disappointment regarding Gavaskar’s absence from the ceremony.
“Sunil Gavaskar seems a lovely man. Humble, for a cricketing genius. How on earth could Cricket Australia not have him present the trophy with AB? It is an appalling and embarrassing error,” Mitchell wrote on social media.
BCCI Vice-President Shukla supported Mitchell’s view, stating: “I fully agree with Neil. It happened when Gavaskar was present in the stadium. Trophy is in their names and one of them was not invited to podium. After four years who knows whether both will be present at the stadium? Both together would have been a rare visual.”
The series loss also ended India’s hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, with Australia securing their spot.
Australia, clinching the BGT for the first time since 2014, will defend their WTC title against South Africa this June at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.