Mumbai: Former India captain and legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar, who is celebrating his 67th birthday on Sunday, said that he would be surprised if India didn’t win the Test series against West Indies.
“I am not a fortune-teller to predict the outcome, but I would be surprised if India doesn’t win the series,” Gavaskar said when asked about his prediction for the 4-match Test series.
Speaking on Anil Kumble’s appointment as India’s head coach, Gavaskar said that every cricketer wants to serve the game in some capacity after the retirement. “I am not surprised at Anil applying for the job. Even though a cricketer retires from international cricket he still wants to serve the game in some capacity and Anil will be doing that now with the same distinction and determination that he brought to his cricket.”
Kumble’s appointment created a lot of controversy after Ravi Shastri felt he was not given the right treatment by the Cricket Advisory Committee that selected the coach. When asked why does Gavaskar think Shastri was removed after one-and-a-half year whereas Duncan Fletcher was around for 4 years despite not bringing much success to the team, he didn’t give a direct answer and restricted himself to just praising Shastri.
“Ravi did a terrific job and lifted the morale and psyche of a defeated team with his gung-ho approach and never-give-up attitude. And that can be seen not just in the results of the team but also the positivity that they radiated on and off the field. His has been a huge contribution to the development of this young team.”
Gavaskar said that he is going to be in the commentary box during the India-West Indies series and considers Trinidad as his second home. “Ever since my debut in Trinidad, I have considered it as my second home. So yes, I am looking forward to going there again.”
The former Indian skipper also added that the Champions League would have been more interesting than the mini IPL. “A mini IPL would be interesting, but the Champions League would be infinitely more interesting,” Gavaskar concluded.