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  Kohli is not in Gower’s top four

Kohli is not in Gower’s top four

Published : Feb 1, 2016, 5:55 am IST
Updated : Feb 1, 2016, 5:55 am IST

Sunil Gavaskar may believe that Virat Kohli can bat at night without lights but former England skipper David Gower didn’t even include India’s Test skipper in his list of world’s four best batsmen at

David Gower
 David Gower

Sunil Gavaskar may believe that Virat Kohli can bat at night without lights but former England skipper David Gower didn’t even include India’s Test skipper in his list of world’s four best batsmen at the moment. In a freewheeling interview to this newspaper on Sunday, Gower made South Africa’s AB de Villiers his top pick. “The most brilliant all-round batsman is de Villiers. Not far behind him are Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Joe Root. The trio can be exceptional on their day,” the Englishman said.

Kohli’s talk reared his head once again. Can the Delhi batsman match the benchmark set by Viv Richards There was a look of disbelief on Gower’s face before the 58-year-old player-turned-commentator came up with an emphatic “no way”. He said, “Without a doubt Viv was a great. Kohli is, undeniably, very talented. Comparisons just fill space. They were from different eras and had different requirements. Virat is a brilliant player now. I don’t know how he would have fared against the West Indies bowling attack of the 80s. Viv only played two formats. I think it’s safe to say Viv would have been sensational in T20 as well.”

The amiable Gower, who has a legion of fans for his work behind the microphone as he once did for his artistry in front of the wicket, opened up on a variety of subjects. Excerpts:

Q. Do you think India should have one captain for all three formats It doesn’t matter whether it’s Kohli or Dhoni. Many countries, including England, have different captains for different versions of the game. If you have a captain who is capable of playing as well as leading the side effectively in all three formats, then you are very lucky.

Q. One of your famous quotes is “It’s hard work making batting look effortless.” Many people have compared Rohit Sharma to you. What is your take on the subject I would stay out of that argument. When you watch someone scoring runs easily, it means they have got more time than others. At the moment, Rohit has the time and is in great form. It’s a very good sign that Rohit is scoring runs in Australia. For someone like Rohit, whose talent is beyond doubt, I think it is long overdue. He was expected to score so many runs before.

Q. The BCCI doesn’t allow its players to play county cricket regularly or send its players to take part in various T20 leagues. Do you think it’s a big disadvantage for Indian cricketers India are a popular team across the globe. You can imagine the great demand for their players. It’s all about balancing between every player wanting to make money, win and build his record. You have got to get out there to do it and but you have to be fresh enough to do it.

Q. Do you feel that a lot of modern day commentators don’t abide by the golden rule laid down by the late Riche Benaud that “we” and “they” should never be used to refer to a team Speaking for myself as a commentator, I need to be honest on air and remember you are being heard across the globe and not just in one part.

I am well aware that some of my colleagues are undeniably jingoistic. If you listen to Australian commentary they are always one-sided.