Sunil Gavaskar, the former Indian opener, did not hold back in criticizing England’s batting performance in the ongoing 2025-26 Ashes series in Australia. The English team faced heavy defeats in the first three Tests and ultimately surrendered the Ashes urn due to their poor batting display.
Gavaskar also highlighted an incident from the previous year’s Manchester Test, where England players were reportedly upset with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar for wanting to pursue their centuries instead of accepting a draw offered by the opposition captain, Ben Stokes. Despite being in their 80s, the Indian all-rounders chose to continue batting, much to the dismay of the English players.
In his column for the Mid-Day, Gavaskar pointed out England’s struggles with the bat in the ongoing Ashes series. He emphasized the importance of valuing Test match centuries, as England has found themselves struggling to put up decent scores, having crossed 300 only twice in eight innings and being bowled out for under 200 thrice.
Gavaskar also took a dig at Harry Brook, who was touted as a ‘generational talent’ but had failed to live up to expectations in the series, scoring only 232 runs in the first four Tests with just one half-century. The Indian legend urged England’s young talent to step up and deliver, especially if they want to qualify for the World Test Championship final next year.
Despite England trailing 1-3 in the series, Brook finally showed some promise in the ongoing final Test in Sydney, where he scored an impressive 78 runs as England reached 211/3 on the opening day of their first innings.
In conclusion, Gavaskar highlighted the importance of England’s young stars living up to their potential and contributing to the team’s success. As the series progresses, it remains to be seen if the English batsmen can turn their fortunes around and salvage some pride in the final Test match.
This article was edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran and originally appeared on Sportskeeda.
