Former India captains Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri questioned the necessity of a laser display during the drinks break of Sunday’s T20 World Cup Super Eights match between India and the West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
When the Powerplay ended and the planned break was taken, India was 53/2 and chasing 196. The stadium lights were turned down and a laser show was performed during the three-minute break, momentarily darkening the area.
Gavaskar and Shastri expressed worries that the batters’ concentration and vision would be affected by the abrupt change in lighting.
“The laser show during the two-and-a-half or three minutes of the drinks breaks… It’s not easy on the batters, or anybody for that matter. To get your eyes used to the light, to get the bright lights again, you have darkness around you,” Gavaskar said on commentary.
Gavaskar claimed that in a worldwide competition, such spectacles were superfluous.
“You have a laser thing going on. This is the World Cup. And for two-and-a-half minutes, do you need this kind of entertainment?
“In the IPL, it’s fine in the middle of the IPL. Not in the knockouts, but in the middle of the IPL, that is fine. But at the moment here, in the World Cup, do we need these laser shows in the middle of the drinks break, at the drinks interval?” Gavaskar asked.
Shastri agreed, emphasizing the effect on players’ focus.
“And from the players’ point of view, to switch back on, is never easy. It’s serious stuff,” Shastri said.
