India batting great Sunil Gavaskar expressed grief over the untimely death of Australian spin great Shane Warne. Gavaskar praised Warne’s contribution to cricket, however, adding that the Australian was not the greatest spinner of all time. Speaking at a show on India TodayThe Indian batting great and former India captain said that “the Indian spinner and Muttiah Muralitharan were definitely better than Warne”. The Australian spinner died of a suspected heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand on Friday at the age of 52.
Shane Warne took 708 Test wickets and another 293 wickets in One Day Internationals, but Gavaskar said that in his opinion, Sri Lankan spin ace Muralitharan was “a rank above him”.
“For me, the Indian spinner and Muttiah Muralitharan was definitely better than Warne. Because look at Warne’s record against India. It was pretty normal against India,” Gavaskar told India Today.
“Since he didn’t have much success against Indian players who are very good players of spin bowling, I don’t think I would call him the greatest. I think Muttiah Muralitharan will be above the success he has achieved against India . her in my book.”
“He was always looking to live life to the fullest, king size as they call it and he did and maybe it’s because he lives life that way maybe that’s why his heart couldn’t take it and He died so early,” Gavaskar said.
The timing of Gavaskar’s comments and his remarks on the Australian lifestyle left some of Warne’s fans on social media upset.
Sunil Gavaskar spoke on national television about Warne’s poor bowling record in India and also said that his heart cannot keep up with his lifestyle.
How is it possible to be so devoid of class and basic humanity?
—Shubi Arun (@loudspeaker19) 4 March 2022
Gavaskar should be banned from appearing in the interview!
That comment on Warne was so disgusting! really bad
— Pandemic Pep (@afc_anubhav) 5 March 2022
Dear Sunil Gavaskar Sir,
Late Shane Warne had more than 1000 test wickets in his team with Glenn McGrath, Damien Fleming, Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee and yet he had 708 test wickets. If you are saying that he is not the best spinner he has ever played then you are smoking something really bad.
— siddharth barjatya (@sidbarjatya) 5 March 2022
Randeep, it’s time you stop inviting the great Sunil Gavaskar to your show. The man is infamous. On the day he died, no one turned a man down the way he did on the day he died, in this case the great Shane Warne. Gavaskar was a complete failure in a series he played against Dennis Lillee
— Marvin Rodrigues (@MarvinRodrigues) 4 March 2022
Gavaskar is probably an egoist who thinks he and some of his teammates are bigger than the game of their era.
No sensitivity, no sympathy. Just words that are meant to hurt someone. Gideon Hague was feeling uneasy when Gavaskar was speaking his BS.
— Evie (@RangnickTime) 5 March 2022
“Sunil Gavaskar gives Shane Warne’s death an opportunity to say that the Indian spinner and Muralitharan were better because of their record against India. Honestly, Sunny, this is not the time.. just could have sidelined it. Body cold too No. Not yet,” wrote another user.
Australian great wicketkeeper Rod Marsh died at the age of 74 after Warne’s death.
Gavaskar said, “Within 24 hours, the cricket world has lost two legends of the game, not just Australian cricket but the cricketing world. Rodney Marsh and then Shane Warne. It’s unbelievable. It’s hard to catch.”
“He (Warne) mastered a craft that is so difficult, which is wrist spin. To take over 700 wickets like he did in Test cricket, hundreds in one-day cricket and let’s tell you how many He was a good bowler.
publicized
“Finger spin is very easy, you have more control over what you want to bowl but leg spin or wrist spin is very difficult. The way he bowled, the way he was creating magic… That’s why That he was respected in the entire cricketing world.”
(with Reuters inputs)
Topics mentioned in this article