Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has opened up on the sharp contrast between the current team management structure and how things operated during his time, asserting that in his era, coaches didn’t exist and team selection was solely the captain’s prerogative.

"We didn't have coaches. We just had former players as managers or assistant managers of the team. They were the kind of people who you went up to and talked to, they gave you some advice at lunchtime or at the end of the day's play or on the eve of the game.

"So, it is difficult for me to get my head around the captain and the coach's combination. When I was captain, we had nobody who was a former player,” Gavaskar said.

Gavaskar’s nostalgic reflection came alongside pointed criticism of India’s team selection in the ongoing fourth Test against England, particularly the exclusion of Kuldeep Yadav. The omission sparked debate and according to Gavaskar skipper Shubman Gill may not have had the final say in selecting the playing XI. Stating that such decisions should be made by the captain and not influenced by anyone else, including the head coach, Gavaskar added that Kuldeep should have been part of the playing XI.

"At the end of the day, it is the captain's team," Gavaskar said on Sony Sports.

"You can't say that he didn't want somebody like, in Shardul Thakur's case or Kuldeep Yadav’s case, that he didn't want them, maybe Shubman didn't want Shardul in the team and wanted Kuldeep," he added.