Interview with Indian Cricket Legend Syed Kirmani

Syed Kirmani, the legendary cricketer who was part of the Indian Cricket Team’s World Cup 1983 squad and one of the finest wicket keepers of India, talks about cricketing sportsmanship, the in-discipline plaguing the game,  shorter game formats and more in an exclusive interview to Gawah Urdu Weekly.

“All ethics of the game has changed. The kind of cricket we played was different, I think we played like gentlemen. Not that there are no gentlemen in this current era. There are gentlemen in every era. There will always be”,  he promptly adds.

Lambasting the fading ethics and withering sportsmanship in the current generation of cricketers, he maintains “fines imposed on the cricketers itself is the proof that they are not playing like gentlemen. The current era of cricketers globally are not playing like gentlemen.

“It like a war between the two countries”, he adds.

Speaking about the shorter format of the cricket, he recollects “we used to play 50 overs on a  5-day stretch. The game is changing now. There is a lot of excitement among everybody for the shorter format of the game. People fancy watching IPL, and other such tournaments. Its always good to have a variety.”

We might even see T15 or T10 games, he avers.

While the enthusiasm for shorter format is more prevalent these days, Kirmani says ‘whoever fits the bill in all the three formats of the game has some class of cricket with him.’ It however is of greater concern to retain the sportsmanship and discipline the game was once known for.

Commenting on the young talent in team India, he says ‘there are certain youngsters who will need sometime to establish themselves. We all would like to see India winning every single time but it cannot happen as this great game of cricket always has some glorious uncertainties”, he adds.

By: Syed Khaled Shahbaaz

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