Legendary Sunil Gavaskar has hit out at former and current Pakistan cricketers for their “uncomplimentary” remarks on Team India stars.

According to Sunil Gavaskar, the past and present members of the Pakistan cricket team attempt to “insult” India players because they cannot take part in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL).

Though the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) organizes a similar T20 league in the country, the money the Pakistani cricketers earn by playing in the tournament is mediocre compared to the IPL. Hence, the players there rue that they cannot feature in India's premier T20 competition, widely regarded as the best in the format.

Sunil Gavaskar further stated that the IPL, over the years, has managed to bring players from different geographies closer to each other. The animosity between players of the past era has now translated into friendships of a lifetime, with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers' bonhomie being the best example.

However, this hasn't happened with Indian and Pakistani cricketers because they hardly play against each other in a friendly environment like the IPL. It is one of the reasons why former Pakistan players, in particular, try to demean Team India's batters and bowlers regularly.

“When two of the top-ranked teams play against each other, then sparks are bound to fly. However, since the IPL began, the animosity between players of the two teams has lessened considerably while the intensity hasn't reduced one bit and that's how it should be. Sharing the same change room, hotels and traveling to different venues over a period of six weeks to play has made the players get to know each other better, understand the different cultures and attitudes and approaches to the game,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mumbai-based newspaper Mid-Day.

“While there will always be a bit of banter between players, the angry and sometimes vulgar exchanges are a thing of the past. Today, if there are any such issues, it's invariably between players who don't play the IPL and thus have a bit of resentment towards the Indian players who play against them. Some of them believe that their achievements are such that they should be getting more than the Indian player, who gets millions through the IPL,” the former India captain added.

“What the following for the game also does is to make the media, especially the online media, look to get more eyeballs or followers and so anything to do with cricket and especially about Indian players gets into the public domain even if it actually belittles them. That's the sad part especially when the views of those across the border get online in the Indian media. It's almost a daily thing to hear some former player from across the border pulling down an Indian player and saying the Pakistani player is better. What these guys know is that they will immediately get a response from the Indian fans who will defend their favorite player and in doing so, increasing the followers of the former player from across the border,” Sunil Gavaskar explained.

“It's a trick that is used by them knowing that to increase their followers all that they have to do is say uncomplimentary stuff about Indian players, past or present. Have you ever heard or read any Indian player past or present saying anything about the players from across the border? Frankly, nobody cares, so no Indian that I know has said anything about the players from across the border. It's simply not our style. If our online media ignores what is said across the border then it will automatically stop, but our media will publish it even if it is pulling a fellow Indian down,” he continued.

Sunil Gavaskar was also critical of the Indian media, which he felt discredits the credentials of yesteryear greats while praising the current crop of cricketers.

“Even with the current tour, where some sections of the touring media have had unflattering things to say about Indian pitches, it's been headline news when it should have been given the total ignore. Somehow one gets the feeling that some sections of our media seem to enjoy Indian cricket being pulled down,” Sunil Gavaskar pointed out.

“The Indian win in Nagpur Test has also made some Indian media compare the players of today and suggest they are better than the earlier generations totally forgetting that figures don't always show the impact on the game that some of the former greats had and that too in overseas conditions and not just at home,” the ex-India skipper mentioned.

“We in India seem to revel in pulling fellow Indians down and while genuine observations and criticism are totally welcome, when it comes with an agenda then it's very sad to see. Hopefully, the more we get by the visiting media the more our guys will get together and give a spirited adequate response. Or is that too much to hope for?” Sunil Gavaskar concluded.