former india captain Sunil Gavaskar The Board of Control for Cricket in India (Board of Control for Cricket in India) is urged toBCCI) Prioritize player welfare and ensure that centrally contracted cricketers have at least one month of uninterrupted rest every year.His comments came shortly after India swept the ODI series against Afghanistan 3-0 shortly after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (intense pulsed light) 2026 season.Gavaskar acknowledged the role played by BCCI in supporting developing cricketing nations such as Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka through bilateral series. However, he said that despite the busy cricket schedule, the health and fitness of Indian players should remain a priority.Gavaskar wrote in his Mid Day column: “Yes, the BCCI is like an elder brother to countries like Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka and tries to help them grow on the field and boost their finances by visiting these countries. However, the health and fitness of our cricketers is also crucial and our players should have a month’s rest in the year. India is cheap so you can rotate players but this increases India’s ceiling. It cannot be given as players replace rested non-dispensable players.”The former opener also questioned the practice of resting senior players for workload management purposes. Gavaskar said India should field the strongest possible lineup.He pointed to India’s recent tests in Afghanistan Shubman Gill KL Rahul, on the other hand, scored hundreds.“In the Test against Afghanistan, they have been honest trypers but nothing more, with Shubman Gill and KL Rahul scoring centuries and Manav Sutar making an impressive debut. Jasprit Bumrah Rested, but wouldn’t he want to add another one or ten to his career record against this team? When India plays, the best team has to compete, barring injuries of course. But such workload-related breaks must be avoided as much as possible. Take a look at the calendar and you will see that India is hosting a match somewhere every month. “Gavaskar clarified that he supports giving more opportunities to young players through India A and Under-19 cricket, but feels that older players should get proper rest in the game.“Yes, by all means have ‘A’ team and U-19 games so that young players get opportunities and experience, but please give our elite players a break and make sure they, as a team, not just individuals, have at least a month off during the year.”He added that the current schedule cannot be changed, but suggested that future plans should include mandatory breaks for players and even fans.“The schedule for this year has been finalized and nothing can be changed, but since the idea is to have the IPL start and end early next year, please add a month’s break not only for the players but also for the Indian cricket fans.”India’s next assignment is a two-match T20I series against Ireland in Belfast before the team travels to England for five T20Is and three ODIs starting from July 1.
