Sunil Gavaskar criticizes Indian domestic cricket format

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has criticized the structure of India’s domestic cricket following the 2026 Duleep Trophy final between East Zone and South Zone. Despite East Zone securing their first title in 13 years, Gavaskar expressed disappointment over the match's conclusion.

In the first innings, East Zone scored 708, led by Ishan Kishan’s 270. After bowling South Zone out for 336, East Zone entered their second innings and batted for nearly 100 overs to reach 388/7. The match was eventually ended by mutual agreement between the captains before the scheduled conclusion.

Gavaskar argued that the tendency to rely on first-innings leads rather than pursuing outright wins prevents players from developing the skills necessary to take 20 wickets in Test matches. He noted that this lack of experience in completing full two-innings contests may contribute to India’s recent struggles to close out Test matches, citing a recent series in Sri Lanka as an example.