I would love to play for captain Kohli: Sir Viv Richards
Perhaps the greatest entertainer to have graced the cricket field, Sir Vivian Richards revolutionized cricket before other players even thought about it. At a time when the norm was a strike rate of 70, Viv dominated bowlers with an imperious strike rate of 90. He missed out on the madness of the T20 era and vice versa.
The legend is currently in India to promote the American University of Antigua (AUA) and while doing the same, he had a few media interactions as well. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Sir Richards spoke about Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, the IPL and a lot more.
You have seen Sachin. Now you are seeing Kohli. Do you think it's right to compare them? Whom would you rate higher?
I'm not the guy who goes into comparisons. What we have to do is appreciate what we have. I just think India should be quite happy that they were able to produce someone like Sachin. I'll even go before that; say India had Sunil Gavaskar. I have always felt that Gavaskar is the so-called 'Godfather' of Indian batsmanship. Then came Sachin and now Virat. India should be really proud of these individuals rather than make comparisons.
Having played under a successful captain like Clive Lloyd, which captain from the present crop reminds you of the great leader?
It's pretty difficult to say because I have seen captaincy being changed on a regular basis. But, when you look at an individual as calm as maybe MS Dhoni, you know he is pretty cool, he doesn't seem to be flushed and I think when you are a leader of men, it's nice to have such composure. Hence, I will look up to him as a captain.
If you are to be part of the IPL as a player, with which captain would you like to be associated with and why?
Ah, to be fair, I would say someone like Virat. I like his aggressive attitude. I love someone who demands that sort of respect for what he does himself and what he can achieve and I believe I would love to play for an individual like him. He brings passion, he wears his heart on his sleeve and I love guys like that.
People say the Kerry Packer series changed the face of cricket. How would you compare that with IPL?
What I would love to see is the IPL players going global. You know they have a lot of players who have come from different parts of the world and graced India with their presence. Personally, I would love to see the great Indian players themselves go and make this a global affair and that would be quite helpful in my opinion for cricket around the world.
You were not part of the T20 era. But you were probably one of the greatest entertainers the world has witnessed. How do you see yourself fit in the T20 era?
I think we started that sort of aggressiveness, didn't we? I was kind of a guy who enjoyed playing the game, hitting the ball, that's what it is there for, for you to have fun and especially when you have people who come and sit on the seats is important that they leave with a good impression. And, I would appreciate playing in T20. It's a marvellous competition, great fun and personally, I think it would have given cricket some new life and I'm happy for that.
ECB has proposed a 100-ball league. Do you think it's the right way to go?
I just hope we don't move too fast, we have got T20. I'm not the guy who likes to experiment with the game too often. Let us see what we have here, what we have now; I think the IPL has been great and the other T20 tournaments across the globe have been exciting so let's just not experiment too much,
(Soon from now we'll be having 1-1 and that would be a disgrace in my opinion to the game. Laughs)
Tell us about your visit to India.
I'm here as a part of the delegation to try and spread the message as best as possible of what we have in Antigua, especially the American University of Antigua (AUA). I'm in a small capacity trained to lure folks from this part of the world and others as well who are looking to get the education in the medical field.
Apart from what you can accomplish in that particular institution itself, it is of vital importance that parents, who are looking to send their kids to full-fill their dreams, can be a part of the tourism experience. You know Antigua is a magnificent place, so I'm here just to spread the wonderful news and opportunities that are available at the AUA, Antigua.
These days, cricket teams have a large support staff going around in the dugout. Do you think it's necessary?
If the teams are successful, it is, (Laughs). But sometimes, I just think it is a lot of baggage, where too many individuals are involved. I also believe that players today have to be responsible for their preparation. There is one guy who has impressed me over the years and I became pretty close to him and that's Shane Watson.
I think he is a magnificent player, with the way he prepares himself he doesn't look to some individual to help him train, move a leg or arm, help him do this or that, he is purely responsibility for his own performance. I love guys like him and I guess that's why he is in a good place now in the IPL and doing well.
Will Test cricket survive in the T20 generation?
I hope it does. I hope Test cricket survives, we have got to find a way. I'm an advocate of Test match cricket and we have got to show the young generation of today that T20 cricket isn't all about of cricket itself.
Even before T20 came into existence, there were folks who wanted to play for the country that included Test and 50-over game too and I think the administrators have a role to play here.
I do believe that it should be some sort of organisation like you have in America where you have college basketball, football and the individuals in college are amateur starters and if they want big picture of going to NBA, the Superbowl and all that sort of stuff, well then they will have to graduate from knowing the game from its grass-root level and then if you are good enough, which means you'll be much wider in terms of knowing the game from its roots and that to me would be a great opportunity for them to get into the picture like the IPLs and all the other T20 tournaments around the world.
There are times I think individuals see the attraction and sometimes when there is an attraction, everyone wants to rush into it.
If approached, would you be interested in coaching the West Indies team?
That can be problematic. (Laughs) I think coaching is for the kids. You know you cannot coach the guys playing at the highest level. An advisory role will be more appropriate and I wouldn't mind that.