While it is easy to play for India in a way, it is also lot tougher because of competition: Rohan Gavaskar

Ever since cricket resumed after the Covid-19 pandemic, fans have seen a lot of cricketers taking some time off the game. Be it for their mental health or to manage workload, top-notch cricketers including the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, David Warner and others have taken multiple breaks in the last two-three years. In such a scenario, a lot of youngsters got an opportunity to play for the country and to prove their calibre.

Since August 2020, at least seven cricketers made their debut for India in Test cricket while 13 players made their debut in One Day Internationals and the numbers increase in the shortest format of the game as 17 players made their debut in T20I cricket. This in short proves the kind of depth that the Indian team currently has and also, the number of opportunities the cricketers are getting in international cricket.

Former cricketer and commentator, Rohan Gavaskar believes it is easier to play for India these days but a lot tougher to hold your position. Consistency has become a massive part of the game these days since chopping and changing have been an easier options for all the teams.

“It is fantastic to see the kind of talent that we do have in India at the moment. I was having a chat with Rahul Dravid in West Indies and I told him that the funny part about playing for India right now is that it is quite easy to play for India and it is very tough to play for India. When I say easy, I don’t mean it is not deserved. All the players who have played for India are very well deserved of India cap. But because there are so many matches and so many players taking rest in certain formats and tournaments, a lot of players are getting a lot more opportunities than say cricketers got in the early 2000s or late 90s because of the number of matches we are playing.” said Rohan Gavaskar exclusively on SPORTS18’s daily sports news show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP’.

It is like snakes and ladders at the moment: Rohan Gavaskar

It is because of immense competition, players performing well often fails to get into the squad. For example, Shikhar Dhawan had a stellar IPL but the southpaw isn't considered for the T20 World Cup and the same can be said for Sanju Samson. When it comes to the longest format of the game, Shubman Gill’s position is not yet guaranteed. Thus, according to Rohan Gavaskar, it is like a snakes and ladders game in the Indian cricket team.

“Because there is so much ability and so much talent, we are always looking over your shoulder because if you don’t get runs in 3, 4 or 5 games there is someone out there who is going to take your spot and you get to go right back down the ladder. It is like snakes and ladders. You get to 97 you hit that snake and you are back at 3. If you don’t score runs in 4-5 matches. So, while it is easy to play for India in a sense it is also a lot tougher because of the competition that we have in our country at the moment,” said the 46-year-old in the same show.