GUWAHATI: Antiguan cricket legend, Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards endorses Virat Kohli’s brand of aggressive cricket, saying it augurs well for Indian cricket.
“The Indian cricket teams of the past were a little timid. But Virat has transformed the current team with his aggression, which I endorse. He is as good as anything and knows when and how to give it back (to the opposition), be it with the way he plays or talks during a match. So having Virat, who is the right leader with the right energy, is good for the game and Indian cricket,” Richards said here on Thursday.
The iconic West Indies player is here as the brand ambassador for American University of Antigua College of Medicine (part of Manipal Education and Medical Group), having partaken in a multi-city tour in India to endorse his nation, Antigua as an ideal destination for the medical school.
“Antigua is a small island inhabited by 100,000 people. It is a paradise on earth with 365 beaches, some of which are the best in the world,” Richards, considered the “most destructive” batsman in world cricket, said.
The former cricketer also praised Assam Tea as one of the finest in the world. “The tea that you have is one of the best in the world. This is a special place and I am enjoying my stay as the weather has been very pleasant unlike other regions of India and quite comparable to the one at home,” he said.
Referring to the ongoing India-Australia series Down Under, Richards minced no words while saying, “This is India’s best chance to win their first Test series in Australia…Virat was unlucky to miss his century today but he should not miss the opportunity of clinching the series. Now you have the right fast bowlers unlike in the past but I would like to see India winning Test series overseas on a regular basis.”
The destructive batsman of the seventies and eighties was also candid to express that he did not have a problem with cricketers sledging if it stayed within limits. “Sledging can get the best out of a competitive player and I am fine with it till it doesn’t get personal,” he said.
Favouring England to win the 2019 cricket World Cup, Richards said, “As hosts and being balanced, they have the best chance. Teams such as Australia, Pakistan and India have an equal chance. But I would love my West Indies team to get lucky.”
The legendary cricketer was all praise for the sports infrastructure in India, saying it has contributed substantially to Indian cricket. “The facilities you have now are as good as any of the best. They have given Indian cricket substance making it the team to beat,” he said.
On being 66 years of age and still as fit as a fiddle, Richards said he believed in physical training. “I walk a lot and play golf regularly,” he said.
Asked his opinion on politics and whether there was ever a thought in taking it as a career, Richards said, “It’s too ticklish a subject for me. You have to please a lot of people which is hard. There is a honeymoon period in politics, and once it ends, you are back to square one.”