Cricket Australia has conceded that it erred in leaving out Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar from a trophy presentation ceremony at the Sydney Cricket Ground last Sunday.
There were awkward scenes at the venue when the batting great wasn’t invited on stage to present the trophy bearing his name.
After Australia won the five-Test cricket series against India 3-1, only former Australia captain Allan Border was on stage to present the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to the home side’s captain Pat Cummins.
Gavaskar, who was at the venue doing commentary duties for multiple platforms, had to watch the proceedings with the rest of his broadcast colleagues.
CA said it was the wrong decision and Cummins should have been handed the trophy by both Border and Gavaskar.
“We acknowledge it would have been preferable if both Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar had been asked to go on stage,” a CA spokesperson said.
Gavaskar was left fuming by the incident.
“I don’t know, ask Cricket Australia (CA),” was his crisp reply when asked about his absence from the presentation ceremony.
The 75-year-old, who attended all five Tests, said he wasn’t asked by CA to be part of the trophy presentation ceremony.
The Australians were victorious in the series for the first time since 2015.
“I certainly would have loved to have been there for the presentation,’’ Gavaskar told Code Sports. “After all it is the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and it is about Australia and India.
“I mean, I am here at the ground. To me, it should not matter whether Australia won when it comes to the presentation. They played the better cricket so they won. That’s fine. I would have been happy to present the trophy with my good friend Allan Border.”
Gavaskar said he had been informed days earlier that the trophy presentation would depend on which team won the series.
“I was told before the Test started that was going to be the situation. If India didn’t win or draw the series, I wouldn’t be required,” Gavaskar told ABC Sports.
“I’m not feeling sad, I’m just a little perplexed. It’s the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, both of us should have been there.”
Cricket fans and pundits lashed out at CA’s move, describing it as “disrespectful” that Gavaskar was snubbed. It also created a sad situation for Border, with some fans unfairly laying the blame at his feet.
The controversy overshadowed what should have been a celebration of Border’s bravery amid the 69-year-old’s public battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
CA’s strange call perplexed many Australians too, including veteran cricket commentator Neil Mitchell, who described the move as an “embarrassing error”.
“Sunil Gavaskar seems a lovely man,” Mitchell wrote on X. “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.”
Another X user @amenners said: “Absolutely farcical that Gavaskar wasn’t asked to present the trophy with AB. Disrespectful to one of the games true greats.”
Indian fan @jkashyap wrote: “Not having Sunny on the dias is an insult. The series is named after him and Allan Border. Poor show by Aussie cricket board. They were too focused on highlighting the fact that they have won the series after 10 years.”
Indian cricket board vice-president Rajeev Shukla expressed shock at CA’s arbitrary decision, especially when both the legends were present at the venue.
“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,” Mr Shukla wrote on X.
