The former Indian captain and the opening batter, Sunil Gavaskar, has slammed the groupings of the T20 World Cup 2026, where India and Pakistan were placed in Group A, alongside the United States of America and the Netherlands. While India enters the event as the favorites, the second-best team will anyway be Pakistan. 

In his latest column, Gavaskar wrote on Sportstar that India and Pakistan have once again been put on the same ground to guarantee the high-profile cherry on the cake. It was the same situation where they faced each other in the previous edition of the competition.

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“As always in recent World Cups, India and Pakistan are not only placed in the same group to ensure at least one clash between the traditional rivals, but are also invariably put in a fairly easy group to qualify for the next round. So the real battle could well start from the following stage of the tournament.” Gavaskar wrote in his column.

Sunil Gavaskar slams T20 World Cup 2026 groupings

Reflecting on the T20 World Cup 2024, India ended their 11-year wait to clinch an ICC title. Gavaskar pointed out that the USA could be a bigger challenge this time around, which beat Pakistan in the group-stage clash of the event. Pakistan, meanwhile, failed to progress into the second round of the tournament.

“We saw the USA beat Pakistan in the last edition of the ICC T20 World Cup when they were co-hosts with the West Indies. They have since improved with experience and by rubbing shoulders with some of the best players in the world in Major League Cricket.” Gavaskar penned down.

“The best part of these leagues is that they help to get rid of the awe factor that players from emerging countries often feel towards some of the big names in the game. Sharing dressing rooms with them, seeing how they prepare, and how they deal with failure are things that cannot be taught in any university.” The former captain addressed.

It’s not often that a player who scored a century is left out of the next match. India’s white-ball cricket team has so much talent that even top performers sometimes miss out on the squad or have to sit on the bench despite strong performances.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad both scored centuries in their last ODI innings against South Africa last year. While Jaiswal has remained part of the squad for the ongoing series against New Zealand, Gaikwad has been left out.

Amid this matter, Jaiswal, the rising star of Indian cricket, was recently greeted by a huge crowd of fans while returning from a shopping mall ahead of the IND vs NZ 3rd ODI. Fans swarmed him on the way back to the team hotel, showing their excitement and admiration for one of India’s most promising batsmen. The moment highlights his growing popularity and the passion cricket inspires among fans across the country.

Watch the video here:

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s massive fan craze on the way back to the team hotel from a shopping mall 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ecB7Tk2MOD

— Sonu (@Cricket_live247) January 16, 2026

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Gavaskar on India’s Pressure and Jaiswal’s Chances in Series Finale

Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar feels the pressure will be on India in the series finale, leaving little room to try out Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jaiswal could have been included for the Indore game if the series had already been decided. India won the first match in Vadodara to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, but the Kiwis bounced back with a seven-wicket triumph.

No Room for Experiments, Says Gavaskar

“…Had they (India) won this (second) game, they would have had the freedom to experiment a little, perhaps giving opportunities to those who haven’t played so far. Someone like Jaiswal could have gotten a bit of a run as well," Gavaskar said on JioHotstar. “All of that might have been possible. But now they can’t take any chances. They have to play their best eleven again."

On a slow pitch, KL Rahul’s fine century and a second successive fifty from captain Shubman Gill guided India to a challenging 284/7 at the Niranjan Shah Stadium. However, Daryl Mitchell led New Zealand’s response with an unbeaten century to seal a relatively comfortable win, which surprised Gavaskar.

“I was surprised by how easily New Zealand got across the line because, before they started batting, everyone thought India would be able to use the slowness of the pitch," Gavaskar said. “With their (New Zealand) bowlers—not just the spinners, but all of them—using the slowness of the surface well, it felt like India would be able to restrict New Zealand to around 260 or 270. I thought that would have been an easy win for India," he added.

Australia and England are facing each other in the fifth and final Test of the ongoing Ashes 2025–26 series. The two teams locked horns at the Sydney Cricket Ground on December 4. At the end of the day’s play, England were 211/3, showing a much better performance with the bat.

It is important to note that England have already lost the Ashes, as Australia won the first three Tests of the series. England managed to win the fourth Test. Speaking about England’s batting struggles in the series so far, former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar criticised the English players for mocking India during the Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy, only to face a similar situation now.

“All those English players who mocked Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar when they chose to bat on and complete their centuries, instead of accepting the offer to leave the field, will now realise that Test match centuries do not come every day. Those who mocked them back then are now finding in Australia that their bats are only producing edges or missing the middle,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.

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England Hope for More of the Same on Day 2

“Both the Indian batters had battled their way to their individual 80s and frustrated the bowlers. With another Test still to go, they were doing the tactical thing by keeping the fielders in the sun for some more time, and they were perfectly entitled to do so. Cricket is a great leveller, and anyone who shows arrogance instead of confidence learns that lesson very quickly,” he added.

It is worth noting that England looked solid with the bat on Day 1 of the fifth Test. Joe Root and Harry Brook were the standout performers for the visitors. Root ended the day unbeaten on 72 runs, while Brook remained not out on 78. Both batters will hope to continue the same form on Day 2 as they look to complete their centuries.

In a significant development for the Indian sports domain, Sunil Gavaskar has been the first sports person in the country to receive court-backed protection of his publicity and personality rights. This shows that even legendary sportspersons are at risk of online misuse in today’s digital world, especially with the rise of AI and deepfake content.

The Delhi High Court stepped in on Tuesday to protect the former India opener and well-known commentator from the illegal use of his name and image on websites and social media platforms. The case highlights the growing need to protect personal identity online.

This court case emerged due to deceptive as well as obscene content featuring the image of Gavaskar being circulated on the internet. This content had raised serious concerns, which led the court to take strict actions.

Court Orders Action Against Online Misuse

Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora passed an order stopping several parties from using Sunil Gavaskar’s identity without his permission. This includes misuse through AI tools and deepfake technology, making it clear that such actions are not allowed.

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As reported by PTI, the court ordered that all misleading and obscene content using Gavaskar’s image must be removed within 72 hours. If the platforms do not follow this order, social media intermediaries will be required to take the content down.

The court also noted that Gavaskar had first approached it on December 12. At that time, platforms were asked to act on his complaint within seven days under the IT Rules, 2021. Although some content was taken down, many violations continued, which resulted in strong court actions. The goal of Gavaskar's case is to prevent his name, image, voice, and overall his identity from being used for advertising. Within the recent few months, many popular personalities from the film industry have received the same rights.

The massive news of the T20 World Cup 2026 squad is the exclusion of Shubman Gill, who has gone through a lean patch in the shortest format in 2025 and finished the home five-match T20I series against South Africa with a string of low scores. The Punjab batter has been leapfrogged by Ishan Kishan in the squad.

The former Indian opening batter, Sunil Gavaskar, revealed that he met the T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, and Gill on the flight when they returned from Ahmedabad to Mumbai. He joked about telling Sky about being available in the competition.

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“He was on the same flight coming back from Ahmedabad with Surya. So, two things I am going to say. Surya was sitting on the seat in front of me. I tapped him on the arm and told him that I am available for selection. So that is also a surprise for me.” Gavaskar expressed on Star Sports.

Sunil Gavaskar gives this suggestion to Shubman Gill

Gavaskar also revealed that he had a discussion with Gill on the same flight, where he made a unique suggestion to Gill on his current list of injuries and the drop in form.

“And the other thing is, when we were getting off, I do hope Shubman takes it in the right spirit. Because all I want is the very best for him. I said that some of these injuries that he has had were a little freakish. The neck injury and now the two injuries recently. I said ghar me jaa kar kisi ko bol dena ki nazar utar de. Because we believe in that. Nazar kabhi kabhi lag jaati hai.” Gavaskar highlighted.

“The omission of Shubman Gill is a surprise. He is a classy, quality batter who has a good season. Yes, I know he struggled for these last few matches. But class always tells in the end, form is always temporary. And he was also coming (into the series against South Africa) after a long layoff. He was not in any rhythm.” The former Indian captain noted on Star Sports. 

The Delhi High Court directed the social media personnel to consider a complaint filed by the former Indian captain and the opening batter, Sunil Gavaskar, regarding the protection of his publicity and personality rights. Tge legendary India batter urged to resolve it within a week under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules of 2021.

Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora issued the directive after the former opening batter alleged the misuse of his name, photographs, and likeness on social media platforms and e-commerce platforms. Sunil Gavaskar’s counsel provided a list of content that has prompted Justice Arora to reiterate the first use of the 2021 IT Rules for moving the content before seeking the intervention of the court. 

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“You know about my order, no? You have to first approach the intermediaries. Let them act on your complaint. I don’t know why parties are not using that mechanism. We can take this up after 10 days. They can examine your complaint by then, and you can come back. It will largely take care of your grievance.” The judge remarked.

Sunil Gavaskar approaches Delhi HC against social media misuse

There have been multiple posts on social media that claim the quotes of Gavaskar against or for a player. There have been several times when Gavaskar raised his voice against such action. Now, he has decided to take the help of the court in this misuse.

“The defendants 7, 11, and 10 are directed to treat the plaint as a complaint as per the 2021 IT Rules and decide it within one week. The plaintiff is directed to provide to the social media platforms the URLs in respect of which the takedown is prayed for within 48 hours from today," the court ordered later on. 

The Gavaskar case adds to a growing list of notable personalities invoking their publicity rights before the Delhi court. Before this, several Bollywood actors and actresses have walked on the same path to secure court protection against unauthorized use of their identity, likeness, or AI-generated imitations.

The former Indian captain and the opening batter, Sunil Gavaskar, reckoned that the use of the ‘grovel’ comment from the South Africa head coach, Shukri Conrad, at the end of the fourth day’s play during the second Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati was an ill-advised use of the word.

Gavaskar highlighted how much the Blue Brigade helped the Proteas over the years now and reflected on that point during his interaction on JioHotstar during the opening ODI of the three-match series at the JSCA Cricket Stadium Complex in Ranchi.

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“You could say it was an ill-advised use of the word. We need to look back at South Africa’s re-entry into international cricket. It was the Indian Cricket Board that proposed South Africa’s readmission after more than 20 years of isolation, and their first international match on return was played in India. Indian and South African cricket have shared a positive, collaborative relationship for decades.” Gavaskar expressed speaking on JioHotstar. 

Sunil Gavaskar expects apology from South Africa head coach on ‘grovel’ comment

Conrad, during the Guwahati red-ball fixture, expressed that they wanted to make India grovel in the middle, and that was the reason they kept batting in the third innings despite being ahead of the situation with a lead of over 450 runs on the board. The Proteas went on to win the encounter by a massive 408-run margin.

“When you consider the current landscape of South African cricket, especially the SA20, five out of the six franchises are Indian-owned. These owners are significantly supporting South African players—not just the international stars who are well taken care of, but the fringe players as well—giving them opportunities to build strong careers.” Gavaskar addressed the interaction.

“I hope that in his next media interaction, he addresses it. I don’t think an apology is necessary; I personally don’t believe in apologies. But acknowledging it and making up for it would be accepted by everyone. These things happen. In the heat of the moment, you can get carried away and say something that goes a bit over the top, " the former Indian captain concluded. 

With India’s massive defeat by 408 runs during the second Test of the two-match series against South Africa at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, they have faced their second whitewash in the history of the format at home in the last three attempts. They have dropped to the fifth position in the WTC 2025-27 points table.

The criticism has been on their head coach, Gautam Gambhir, seeking his sacking by the BCCI. Now, that’s where the former Indian captain, Sunil Gavaskar, has stood beside the Delhi-born as he reckoned that it would also be up to the players to deliver in the middle.

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“He is a coach. A coach can prepare a team, and a coach can only guide and share his experience. But it’s out there in the middle that the players will have to deliver. Now, those who are asking and putting him to be accountable, I have a counter question for them. What did you do when India won the Champions Trophy under him? What did you do when India won the Asia Cup?” Gavaskar expressed in a live show on ‘India Today.’

Sunil Gavaskar stands beside Gautam Gambhir despite India’s 0-2 series defeat to South Africa

Gavaskar questioned whether anyone called for an extension of Gambhir’s coaching after India’s success in the Champions Trophy and T20 cricket. The Indian head coach himself claimed that it would be up to the BCCI to take a call on his future as he would always think about Indian cricket at first hand.

🚨 Gavaskar lashes out at GG haters 🎯

“A coach can prep you, guide you, share all his experience… but once you step on those 22 yards, it’s the players who have to deliver. If you didn’t give Gambhir credit for the CT25 🏆 or the Asia Cup 🥇, why blame him now? You can’t… pic.twitter.com/0Oagwx6wF1

— Pitch Perfect (@_pitch__perfect) November 27, 2025

“Now, people are asking for Gambhir to get sacked. Back then, did you say that he should have been given an extended contract? Or did you ask for a contract for life in one-day cricket or maybe T20 cricket? You didn’t say that. Only when the team doesn’t do well, you always look at the coach.” Gavaskar added in that live show.

“It is for the BCCI to decide. I have said this before as well, Indian cricket is important, I am not important. I am the same guy who got results in England, won the Champions Trophy, and the Asia Cup. This is a team that is learning. The blame lies with everyone and starts with me.” Gautam Gambhir spoke in the post-match press conference.

The former Indian captain, Sunil Gavaskar, has made a sharp attack on the blatant double standards in the global pitch debate from the opening Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata between India and South Africa, compared to what happened in the opening Ashes 2025/26 Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth. His comments came after 32 wickets tumbled in the two-day finish of the game.

Sunil Gavaskar’s frustration stems from the contrast in reactions. Only a week earlier, the Eden Gardens surface was criticized after India lost the contest by 30 runs while chasing 124 in the fourth innings on the third day of the contest. Michael Vaughan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Anil Kumble, and many slammed the surface but remained tight-lipped for Perth.

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“The Perth Test match has ended in less than two days, with 32 wickets having fallen, including 19 on the first day, but as yet there’s not a word of criticism about the pitch there. Last year too, 17 wickets fell on Day One at Perth between India and Australia, and I can’t recall a critical word about the pitch, which had more grass on it than usual.” Gavaskar wrote in his column.

Sunil Gavaskar calls out double standard on Perth and Kolkata surfaces

Gavaskar welcomed the fact that some recently retired Indian cricketers finally started to raise questions about 19 wickets falling on the single, which was the opening day, of the first Ashes 2025/26 Test in Perth before it ended on the following day.

The same was the case in Sydney, where 15 wickets fell on Day One. The argument, as enumerated by the curator in Perth last year, was: ‘This is Perth, Australia, and you will get bounce.’ Fine — but then, when the pitch affords turn, why can’t it be accepted that this is India and there will be turn?” Gavaskar penned down.

“If you complain about the bounce, then the counter-argument is that you can’t play fast bowling. Why is there never a counter-argument that you can’t play spin bowling when the pitch affords turn in India?” The former Indian captain concluded.

The former Indian captain and the opening batter, Sunil Gavaskar, has blasted at the Indian team’s approach during the opening Test of the two-match series against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where they experienced a defeat by 30 runs, having been bundled out for just 93 runs in the fourth innings in a chase of 124 runs.

In his column, Gavaskar has written that the defeat has reflected the management’s reluctance to trust the domestic heavy run scorers and the tendency of international players to spend little time on the domestic pitches. It was India’s fourth home Test loss in the last six affairs.

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“The defeat to South Africa will hopefully open the eyes of those who matter to look at the heavy scorers in domestic cricket, who are used to playing on pitches where the ball spins and keeps low. The international players are so busy playing overseas that they do not have practice playing on domestic pitches, and so are found wanting.” Gavaskar expressed in his column.

Sunil Gavaskar turns red-faced on India’s timid approach in home South Africa Test in Kolkata

Gavaskar also took a dig at Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar’s continued backing of Nitish Kumar Reddy as a Test all-rounder. Without taking his name, he addressed that a true all-rounder would have the skill to feature both as a batter and bowler.

“Test batting demands patience and, more importantly, the willingness to leave your ego in the changing room. It does not matter if you get beaten and rapped on the leg guards. You do not have to try to knock the ball out of the ground to show who is the boss. The only boss is the one who stays humble and accepts that at this level, the bowler will beat you, and so waits a bit till the scoreable ball comes along.” The former Indian batter wrote.

“India also needs to understand the difference between a Test all-rounder and a limited-overs all-rounder. A genuine Test all-rounder is someone who could make the eleven solely as a batter or as a bowler. A player who only offers a few overs or a few runs is not what Test cricket demands.” Gavaskar penned down.