Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar shared a playful comment regarding Virat Kohli’s absence from the ongoing Test series against England. Kohli, who recently became a father for the second time, opted out of the series for personal reasons. Initially named in the squad for the first two Tests, Kohli withdrew days before the opening match, choosing to skip the entire series. Gavaskar was questioned about Kohli’s return to cricket during an event, especially in the IPL after a prolonged break.

“Kya woh khelenge… kuch reason ke liye khel nahin rahe hain, shaayad ho sakta hai ki IPL ki liye bhi na khele (Will he play? He is not playing because of some reason, perhaps he may not play in IPL as well),” remarked Sunil Gavaskar during a Star Sports Event at the Indian Institute of Management, Ranchi.

Sunil Gavaskar also praised Dhruv Jurel, the Player of the Match in the Ranchi Test, for his outstanding 90-run innings in the first innings against England. He highlighted Jurel’s crucial role in stabilizing the innings and his partnership with Shubman Gill in the chase, contributing to India’s series-clinching victory.

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“He could be promoted up the order. Jurel could be the superstar after this performance in the Test matches. Even Akash Deep could get more exposure in RCB and play the role of the death over specialist which they were missing last season,” Sunil Gavaskar added.

Discussing the upcoming IPL season, Sunil Gavaskar praised Mumbai Indians’ strategic move to bring back Hardik Pandya and appoint him as the captain. He emphasized that this decision would allow Rohit Sharma to bat without added pressure, providing him the freedom to focus solely on his batting.

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“To allow Rohit to play purely as a batter… it has been a busy season for him, first the World Cup, and now this series. This will give him the freedom to play without worrying about other players. My feeling is that it will work very well for Mumbai Indians. For Hardik to have someone like Rohit to turn to would be invaluable. Hardik will enjoy having Rohit as ‘captain’,” he concluded.