Gavaskar: India within rights to withdraw from Champions Trophy

Sport360 staff 13:36 30/04/2017
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  • Legendary India batsman Sunil Gavaskar believes the BCCI would be well within its rights to pull India out of the Champions Trophy in June if the impasse over the ICC’s new revenue distribution model cannot be resolved.

    So far, the BCCI has missed the deadline to announce a squad for the tournament and Gavaskar says a boycott would not be unjust.

    “If they go strictly by the book, when the 2014 model came into being, I think with that legal agreement, they are entirely within their rights if they decide to withdraw from the tournament,” Gavaskar told Indian news channel NDTV. “The agreement that was there in 2014 has been completely overlooked. I don’t think we should forget that.

    “The thing is, if the 2014 model has been overlooked, maybe you can overlook the 2017 model also in a couple of months. That is also entirely possible because in this world of constantly changing loyalties and constant changing friends, anything can happen.”

    Gavaskar brushed aside concerns that India, which was the only country to vote against the new revenue model, would be left isolated if it remained stubbornly opposed to the model.

    “Australia and England (series) has been there since 1877 and is an iconic series. When it comes to other countries playing, they don’t get that kind of money. When India tour the money doubles, trebles, quadruples, I don’t exactly know by how much,” added Gavaskar.

    “So, there is no way India can be isolated. That particular thing about being isolated, we should completely forget about that. They will not be isolated.”

    The 67-year-old is currently working as a commentator for the IPL and added that cricket’s premier T20 tournament would not be effected by the political machinations going on at the ICC.

    “There is no worry about the Indian Premier League being affected as well because the fees the overseas players get is not something they get even playing five seasons of domestic cricket. Apart from a few players at the top level, they don’t get it,” said Gavaskar.

    “The IPL will still have top level players coming and playing. Those two fears a lot of people have, (but) we should not have those fears.”

    However, Gavaskar, who was the first batsman to get to 10,000 Test runs, acknowledged that India is not as influential as it has been in recent times and believes the BCCI should take time to reflect on why that is.

    “The only influence that has remained constant at international level has been that of England and Australia. Maybe India is not as powerful as it was maybe a couple of years back. Maybe they will have to look within themselves why that has happened, because of things that have happened, and only the BCCI is responsible for that.”

    England, Australia, and India, considered the Big Three of cricket, had rolled out a new revenue model in 2014 that reflected their status as cricket’s superpowers, with the model ensuring the three nations would get the bulk of global cricket revenue. The new model is designed to be more equitable, but Gavaskar believes the reforms fall short of that goal.

    “If the $590 million or whatever the BCCI was supposed to get, if that is wrong, then how is the $290 million or the other $100 million that is being offered, right?” he questioned.

    “If the whole idea is equitable distribution among all cricket boards, then every board must get exactly the same amount.”

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