Recently, this writer was covering a cricket series in the West Indies. Even though India wasn’t scheduled to play a single game in Antigua, one went to that special island, famous as the country of Sir Vivian Richards, arguably the greatest batsman of modern cricket.
Here is an edited excerpt of a conversation with him on the sidelines of a golf course where you will always find him in the evening if he is in St. John’s.
Q. I have come to Antigua just to meet Sir Vivian Richards. Your fandom is such. How does it feel that even after 30 years of retirement your stature still attracts people from all over the world?
A. I am glad that you think about Antigua the way you do and we are fortunate that you are here in Antigua. You are at a beautiful place and we are very pleased to have you here.
Q. Sir, Viv Richards is cricketing royalty, globally. But here I saw that everyone treats you like a regular person. It’s just unbelievable for an Indian, and more so for a cricket fan from outside the Caribbean.
A. Well, that’s the way we are in the Caribbean. We are a very relaxed people, and we have respect for one another. That’s the most important thing. They see me almost every day and so I can relate with everyone. Anyone can come and meet me like how you have come.
Q. Two Indian cricketers you admire are Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. I remember interviewing you back in 2007, when Sachin was under pressure to retire. You said that you had told him not to retire because once you do, you stay retired for a long time. Recently, a similar debate was raging in India regarding Virat. Your thoughts.
A. To be fair, I know these are two individuals who have served the cricketing world well — they are magnificent players. I do not want to get into how they are playing. I admire them like I admire Sunil Gavaskar, whom I have played against. I am a fan of great batsmanship, and India has produced some great batsmen over the years.
Q. Tendulkar and Kohli are in awe of Sir Viv. How do you deal with such admiration from these greats?
A. I myself have lots of respect for them, for what they have achieved. I admire them and all those who have built Indian cricket. As I told you, I am a fan of good batsmanship, and you guys always produce some great talent. Why don’t you send some of the guys here to the Caribbean (laughs)!
We were highly successful against India in the past, but now see that India has made great progress. They have some good fast bowlers, some good spinners, and good batsmen, and that’s what it takes to assemble a good team.
Q. What do you think of Rohit Sharma?
A. I have always liked Rohit, especially when Virat was the captain — before he turned over the captaincy to Rohit.
Q. My final question, Sir. Any current Indian bowler you would have liked to face in your playing days?
A. Not really, because you have produced wonderful fast bowlers over the years and they have done magnificently well. Earlier, people thought Indian bowling was built around spinners only, but over the years your team has done really well. You have got some good quality all-rounders and the Indian team looks very good.
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