India vs South Africa 1st T20I: Why cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar express disappointment with Cricket South Africa?

India vs South Africa 1st T20I: Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar expressed disappointment with Cricket South Africa following the cancellation of the series opener between Team India and the Proteas in Durban due to continuous rain.

India's tour to South Africa faced a damp start at Kingsmead stadium. The Cricket South Africa (CSA), eyeing significant revenue, had hoped for over a billion rand ($53 million) from television rights during the tour. Unfortunately, persistent rain in Durban thwarted those expectations, prompting Gavaskar to criticize CSA's handling of the situation.

Voicing his dissatisfaction, Gavaskar criticized CSA for not adequately covering the entire cricket field when rain started before the coin toss.

"If the ground remains uncovered and the rain stops, you know it doesn't start for another one hour. Suddenly it rains again. So there's no play whatsoever. Everybody (cricket boards) is getting a lot of money. Let's make no mistake. All the cricket boards have got plenty of money. If they say they don't, they are lying," Gavaskar said.

While acknowledging that some cricket boards might not have as much money as the BCCI, Gavaskar emphasized that every board could afford covers to shield the entire ground from rain. He cited instances from World Cup matches in England where games were affected because the entire ground was not covered, resulting in teams losing points.

Recalling instances from South Africa, Gavaskar highlighted the importance of covering the outfield to ensure matches take place. He praised the proactive approach at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, attributing the initiative to former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.

"What the boards need to do now is to cover the entire ground. Let's have no excuse. There was one Test match at Eden Gardens called off where there was some problem at the game didn't start. Next game, Eden Gardens had the entire ground covered," Gavaskar urged, citing Ganguly's role in ensuring a fully covered rain management system at the venue as a model initiative for other boards to emulate.