‘Your salaries come from India.. ’: Sunil Gavaskar to Hussain, Atherton

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has lashed out at former England cricketers Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton for their comments about India having advantage of single venue in ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton were the first to openly bring “India’s undeniable advantage” in Champions Trophy 2025 into discussion.

Taking a swipe at England for getting knockout out of the Champions Trophy after losing to Australia and Afghanistan, Gavaskar advised Hussain and Atherton to “focus on their backyard”. “I think these are all wise and experienced people. Why don’t you actually look at why your team has not qualified? That’s what I was going to ask you, sir. Rather than constantly focusing on India, are you even looking at your own backyard? Your players are in such a fragile mental state-they don’t seem to care about results as long as they meet certain expectations,” Gavaskar told India Today.

“You must care about results. You must care for your country, for any team you play for. If you are playing for your country, the responsibility is even greater. All the time, they are moaning — ‘India has got this, India has got that.’ It’s constant. We must just ignore it. Let them keep mourning. We have better things to focus on. That is the kind of attitude you must have.

Gavaskar highlighted India’s contribution to world cricket in terms of quality and revenue and had no qualms in reminding the former cricketers that a big part of their salaries also depends on the revenue that India generate.

“As I said before, it’s not even worth commenting on. It really isn’t. They are always moaning. They just cannot seem to understand where India stands in international cricket-in terms of quality, income, talent, and, more importantly, in terms of generating revenue. India’s contribution to global cricket-through television rights and media revenue-plays a massive role. They need to understand that their salaries also come from what India brings to the world of cricket,” Gavaskar added.