Ishaan Shahane and Debasis Sen
Sir Vivian Richards is 72 years old, but he is supremely fit. Whenever he is in Antigua, he goes to Cedar Valley Golf Course and spends time playing golf. Both he and Sir Richie Richardson are the members of the club.
A man of his stature is very humble as he obliged a few Indian fans with his autograph before leaving for his home. RevSportz caught up with the legendary cricketer for an exclusive interview. Excerpts:
Q: What was your initial reaction when you went inside the Indian dressing room and presented the medal to SuryaKumar Yadav?
A: Well I enjoyed the feeling and it indeed was a privilege and a pleasure to do something like that and make a particular presentation to a guy who fielded well. Just being in that Indian dressing room with Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli was a privilege to be there at this particular time.
Q: Do you reckon India can make it to the final?
A: We are in the Caribbean now and I will speak first about the guys in Maroon. I honestly believe we are here at home, we have a powerful unit and this is the time for us to get it together and do it for the Caribbean people. If things do not go as planned, my next team will be India. India have been playing well but here in the Caribbean it is all about the Maroon and I am hoping we can get over the line, which will be great for West Indies cricket.
Q: Do you think Virat Kohli is in the right state of mind to make it count in the match against Australia?
A: Well I have always believed especially in such long tournaments, when you peak too early, sometimes it is not too good. It is nice to have a few failures early and these are the championship rounds now, when you get into the Super 8, semis and this is where you need to get your act together. I would back Virat Kohli anyway to come good as he is a fighter and I have no doubts.
Q: Were you taken aback with Afghainstan defeating Australia?
A: All the teams in my opinion have (made) massive improvements and there are no easy team now to play. T20 as a format gives a team an opportunity to take down some big names like Afhansistan did against Australia. So you never know it does give teams to provide upsets.
Q: Who according to Sir Viv will be in the top four teams?
A: I do not make predictions in that way but all I can say is we are in the Caribbean and it will be the Maroon all of the way.