'Got Distracted As There Was An Indian Flag With...': Gavaskar Reveals Why He Couldn't Ask Questions To Iyer

In a game where Virat Kohli collected a record-breaking 49th century, Iyer sealed his place by smashing 77 off 87 balls.

It was not long ago when cricketer-turned-commentator Sunil Gavaskar criticized India’s batter Shreyas Iyer after his poor batting show in the initial games of the ongoing World Cup 2023. But then seeing Iyer’s form in India’s last two games, Gavaskar lauded the Mumbai-based batter.

Gavaskar did admit about the question marks Iyer’s batting had as the batter could not convert his starts to a big total in the initial games of India. But the former India legend praised Iyer after he played a brilliant knock against Sri Lanka as India sealed its tickets for the semi-final stage of the World Cup. Even on Sunday, playing the game against South Africa, Iyer’s average improved to 48.83 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

In a game where Virat Kohli collected a record-breaking 49th century, Iyer sealed his place by smashing 77 off 87 balls. The duo even powered India to a fighting total of 326/5 in 50 overs. In reply, South Africa bundled out for just 83 in 27.1 overs, losing the match by a huge margin of 243 runs at Kolkata. Following India’s win against the Proteas, everyone wanted Gavaskar to ask Iyer a few questions when the batter stepped in for a chat on Star Sports. But then it was the former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri who talked about India's impressive win with Iyer while Gavaskar on the other hand didn't ask a single question.

"Yeah, I wanted to ask him something, but I got a bit distracted because there was an Indian flag with a company's name on it. And you know, that is really not allowed. The India flag cannot be defaced by anything," Gavaskar revealed.

"They (the flag-bearers) have gone now. In fact, I believe the police, next time they see something like that, should not only confiscate the flag but also warn those people not to put any advertising or whatever it is, whether a company or their product, on the India flag. That is completely not all. I am sorry, I got a bit distracted. I know Ravi (Shastri) wanted me to ask Shreyas a question, but I was just looking at those guys, and trying to signal them," Gavaskar added.