Thaindian News

Adelaide, Jan 27 (IANS) Lashing out against the non-performing seniors, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has said that three seniors have played their last Test series for the country.

As India head towards their second successive 4-0 whitewash in seven months, Gavaskar said it was time to show the door to some of the seniors and blood young players.

“I think at least three or four players might have played probably their last Test in Australia. I am saying this because India’s next Test is six-eight months away. Now the selectors should pick youngsters who would serve the country in the years down the line,” Gavaskar said.

Asked to pick youngsters, who could replace the seniors, Gavaskar said: “That’s selectors’ job, not mine.”

Taking a dig at India, Gavaskar said India will at last have the opportunity to score more runs than the Australians in the second innings of the fourth and the final cricket Test.

“Australia declared their second innings at 166 for five and India were 166 for six at stumps today. So if India score two more runs tomorrow they will be ahead of Australia in the second innings,” he said.

“Indian batsmen got bogged under pressure. There’s some sort of defeatist attitude hanging around, even the most experienced players have been affected by it. There was an air of resignation. There was nothing like let’s fight back, get down to doing something. That’s why they are on the verge of their eight successive Test defeat overseas,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying by a TV channel.

Gavaskar said that Kohli, who struck a century in the first innings in Adelaide, should have batted at No.3 in the second innings.

“Yes, he should have been promoted to number three. That opportunity has been missed. That (number three) is going to be his number in the years to come and he should have been given that number three slot in Adelaide,” said Gavaskar.

“Virat scored a hundred in Australia, the lone player to do so. May be his confidence could have stemmed the rot and might have protected the senior players who have been sorely out of form. They (seniors) could have been protected by him (Virat) and who knows the senior players would have done better in the last couple of days in Adelaide,” he said.