Sunil Gavaskar came down heavily on senior cricketers, Shikhar Dhawan and MS Dhoni, for choosing not to participate in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. The former cricketer lashed out at the duo saying that questions should be asked to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as to why are they allowing players to skip domestic cricket!

Talking to India Today, Sunil Gavaskar said, “We shouldn’t ask Dhawan and Dhoni ‘Why you are not playing domestic cricket?’. We should, in fact, ask the BCCI and selectors why they are allowing players to skip domestic cricket when they are not on national duty.” Prithvi Shaw Ruled Out of India vs Australia 1st Test Match at Adelaide; BCCI Statement Reveals Lateral Ligament Injury!

The legendary cricketer seemed angry with the decision to see players not playing in the domestic circuit. Gavaskar said, “If the Indian team has to do well, players have to be in prime form, and for that, they have to play cricket,” he added. Sunil Gavaskar Criticises Australian Style of Cricket, Says 'Players Tend to Break the Line Between Cheating and Gamesmanship!'

Speaking on MS Dhoni, Gavaskar said, “He (Dhoni) didn’t play the T20Is against Australia, before that he didn’t play the West Indies Tests, and then he is not playing the Test series against Australia. “So, he last played in October (November 1) and will next play in January, which is a huge gap. But if he doesn’t do well on tours of Australia and New Zealand, then there will be more questions asked on his place in the World Cup.”

Earlier, Sunil Gavaskar had talked about the rising star, Shivam Dubey, ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 Auction. Gavaskar had said, “One player who will be on the radar of the scouts of the franchises, as well as the national selectors, is Shivam Dubey. Not since Yuvraj Singh and Sourav Ganguly has a left-hander hit the ball so cleanly and powerfully in Indian cricket.” IPL 2019 Auction: Young All-rounder Shivam Dubey Will be on the Radar of Every Franchise, Says Sunil Gavaskar.

The IPL 12 Auction will talk place on December 18, in Jaipur. With 70 slots in total up for grabs. It will be interesting to see how the auction goes, given how many big-ticket players are in the IPL Auction pool!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 04, 2018 10:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).