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Gill lashes out at Gavaskar

Onkar Singh in New Delhi

President of the Indian Hockey Federation K P S Gill has launched a blistering attack on former India cricket captain and opening batsman Sunil Gavaskar for his alleged comments on the running of the Indian Hockey Federation.

Gavaskar, in his weekly column in a leading daily recently, had been critical about the functioning of the IHF and the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India, and called for a government takeover of the two associations.

Earlier, in another piece, Gavaskar had also advocated the dismissal of the Borad of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), just as the Pakistan Cricket Board had been dismissed by the president of Pakistan.

"We all know that Gavaskar has been waging a war against the BCCI for reasons known to cricket lovers of the country. Just because his son Rohan Gavaskar has not been included in the Indian cricket team Gavaskar is raising a hue and cry about the cricket administration. If he talks about cricket one can understand his motives. But why does he want to poke his nose into the affairs of Indian hockey, about which he knows nothing," asks a senior official of the IHF.

"I have not read the comments made by Gavaskar, but if he has written about the IHF and demanded that it should be taken over by the Government of India, then he is going out of his sphere of knowledge. What does Gavaskar know about the Indian Hockey Federation anyway?

"When he used to play nobody from the Indian Hockey Federation went up to him to tell him how to bat. We know what we are doing. Mr Gavaskar should know that I have handled a big force like the Punjab Police efficiently, and while running the IHF I don't need his advise," declared the super cop.

"The Indian Hockey Federation has not taken some of the Mumbai players in the Indian hockey team and these players have been trying their level best to make a comeback into the team. Since our present team is doing very well on the international circuit, there is no question of re-inducting Dhanraj Pillay, Mukesh Kumar and Ashish Ballal in the side," thundered Gill.

He continued: "I have yet to see former players contributing anything substantial to the game they once played before they called it a day. What has been Gavaskar's contribution to the game of cricket in recent years, except that he keeps on criticizing the Indian team for its performance in international cricket. He even started a controversy by making uncalled for comments on what went on in the dressing room after India lost to Zimbabwe in a closely-contested World Cup match. The only person I know who has been doing some constructive work is Bishan Singh Bedi, who is running a coaching camp for young cricketers in Delhi. I wish Gavaskar opens a coaching academy and teaches young children what he knows about batting. That would be worth his while."

Sports scribes in Delhi believe that this is only a beginning of the Gavaskar - Gill feud. One is sure to hear more of it once Gavaskar responds to Gill's missiles.

Sunil Gavaskar was faxed a copy of this article. Subsequently, he called up Rediff to thank us for keeping him in the loop, but said he had no comments to make.