Gavaskar Laments Fading Friendships As Ashwin Says Players Now Just Colleagues

The camaraderie among the current crop of Indian players has always been under the scanner and is talked about a lot. In previous eras, players would often go on to become great friends and they spent a lot of time together even off the field. While friendships did exist among players from the previous era, ace Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently noted that the same level of camaraderie no longer exists. This revelation by Ashwin was met with a lot of disappointment from legendary batsman, Sunil Gavaskar. The former India captain expressed sadness over the fact that the players, instead of being friends, now consider each other mere colleagues.

Sunil Gavaskar also said that players should build a bond and they should be open to engaging in conversations about non-cricketing topics once their on-field responsibilities are over. Gavaskar was also quick to point out that one of the reasons why players do not communicate like friends these days was because they are allotted single rooms. According to him, this practice, which started around 20 years ago or even earlier, has had an impact on the current state of affairs.

Speaking to the Indian Express, Sunil Gavaskar expressed disappointment, stating, “It’s a sad thing because you should be able to get together after play ends and maybe not talk about the game but talk about music, maybe talk about the films you like, maybe talk about your interest in space.”

In an earlier interview, ace Indian spinner R Ashwin revealed how the current cricketers are often lonely. He spoke at length on the dynamics between players and said that they are now just colleagues as opposed to friends. “There is a significant difference because now individuals are focused on advancing their own careers, surpassing the person to their right or left. So, nobody really has the time to ask, ‘Hey, what’s going on’,” Ashwin said.