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To present the coveted trophy to the winning team, Cricket Australia invited Allan Border to the podium while Gavaskar remained absent despite being at the venue.
Rajeev Shukla condemns Cricket Australia for overlooking Sunil Gavaskar at the presentation ceremony in Sydney
BCCI President Rajeev Shukla expressed his disappointment over Cricket Australia ignoring legendary Sunil Gavaskar in the presentation ceremony on Sunday. Australia defeated India in the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney, clinching the series after 10 years. To present the coveted trophy to the winning team, Cricket Australia invited Allan Border to the podium while Gavaskar remained absent despite being at the venue.
The former India captain admitted he would have loved to be a part of the presentation ceremony. “I certainly would have loved to have been there for the presentation. After all, it is the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and it is about Australia and India. I mean, I am here on the ground,” he said.
“To me, it should not matter that Australia won when it comes to the presentation. They played better cricket so they won. That’s fine. Just because I am an Indian (I did not present the trophy). I would have been happy to present the trophy with my good friend Allan Border,” he added.
People on social media condemned Gavaskar’s absence in the presentation ceremony and commentator Neil Mitchell was one of them. Taking to microblogging site X, Mitchell wrote,
“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.”
Reposting it on his timeline, BCCI vice-president Shukla agreed to Micthell’s though and said,
“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.”
Australia took 2-1 lead in the series after an 184-run win in Melbourne before another resounding win in Sydney which also sealed their qualification for the final of the ICC World Test Championship.
