Shane Warne created magic but wouldn't say he is the greatest spinner: Sunil Gavaskar
New Delhi, Mar 7: Batting icon Sunil Gavaskar feels the late Shane Warne sent down "magic deliveries" and mastered a difficult craft during his career but the Australian wasn't the greatest spinner of all time as his performance in India was "pretty ordinary", a view that was criticised as ill-timed in some sections of the media Down Under.
Warne, since making his debut in 1992, played 145 Tests for Australia, picking up 708 wickets with his leg-spin. In his 194 ODI appearances, he snared 293 scalps.
But when Gavaskar was asked if the Australian was the greatest spinner he has seen, the former India captain said he rated India's spinners and former Sri Lanka bowler Muttiah Muralitharan higher than Warne.
"No, I wouldn't say that no. For me, the Indian spinners and Muttiah Muralitharan were certainly better than Shane Warne," Gavaskar said on 'India Today'.
"Because look at Shane Warne's record against India. It was pretty ordinary. In India, he got five wickets only once in Nagpur, and that too because Zaheer Khan swung wildly against him to give him a fifer.
Warne, 52, died of a heart attack on Friday in Koh Samui, Thailand, sending shockwaves around the cricketing world.
"Because he did not have much success against Indian players who were very good players of spin, I don't think I would call him the greatest," Gavaskar said.
"Muttiah Muralitharan with a greater success he had against India, I would rank him over Warne in my book," he added.
Another spin legend, Muralitharan (800) finished with more wickets than Warne (708).
Gavaskar's criticism of Warne's record in India led to some sharp reactions Down Under.
"Honestly... It's not the time: Indian legend slammed for 'shameful' Warne claim," read the headline of 'Fox News'.
"Gavaskar's call was more head-scratching as it came after he admitted Warne's leg spin was the toughest art to master as a bowler," said a news.com-au in its report.
The report also carried a tweet of British journalist Jack Mendal, who said, "Honestly, Sunny, it's not the time ... could have just sidestepped it. The body isn't even cold yet."
The 72-year-old Gavaskar was also lavish in his praise for Warne and acknowledged that he perfected a difficult craft and worked up magic on the field.
"He mastered a craft which is so difficult to master, which is wrist spin. To pick 700-plus wickets like he did in Test cricket plus hundreds more in one-day cricket just tells you how good a bowler he was," Gavaskar said.
"Finger spin is a lot easier, you have a lot more control over what you want to bowl, but leg spin or wrist spin is very, very tough.
"For him to have bowled the way he did, the way he seemed to create magic, the way he seemed to be able to deliver magic deliveries at will was the reason why he was revered all over the world," he added.
There’s a time and a place… this wasn’t it.
— Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) March 7, 2022
Indian legend slammed for ‘shameful’ Warne claim >>> https://t.co/kyPYvk4oqE pic.twitter.com/HwLEGSEOA5
Really shameful act from Gavaskar but not shocking. He's been passing shameful comments since quite a long time. Now change the name Border-Gavaskar trophy https://t.co/0ivWRDDj1r
— Pallavi paul (@PallaviPaul20) March 7, 2022
So, SMG agrees that it wasn't the appropriate time to answer such a question & such comparisons.
— Moinak Das (@d_moinak) March 7, 2022
🎥- Instagram/Sunil Gavaskar pic.twitter.com/c4BvNqlfBb
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Prez, PM pay tributes to Vajpayee at his memorial 'Sadaiv Atal'
New Delhi (PTI): President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the dignitaries who attended a prayer ceremony at 'Sadaiv Atal', the memorial of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on Thursday to pay tributes to him on his 101st birth anniversary.
Former vice president M Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Ministers J P Nadda, Nirmala Sitharaman, NDA ally JD-U leader and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, several other ministers, MPs, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and BJP working president Nitin Nabin were among those who attended the event.
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In a message, the prime minister said Vajpayee's personality, work and leadership will continue to be a guiding light for the all-around development of the nation. He said Vajpayee dedicated his entire life to good governance and nation-building.
"He will always be remembered as a brilliant orator as well as a spirited poet. Vajpayee's personality, work and leadership will continue to be a guiding light for the all-around development of the nation," PM Modi said.
Vajpayee was born on this day in Gwalior in 1924 and passed away in New Delhi on August 16, 2018. The government observes his birth anniversary as Good Governance Day.
The BJP marked the day by its leaders commemorating Vajpayee's legacy in nationwide events. Its chief ministers, Union ministers and MPs, besides organisational leaders, are part of these programmes held across the country.
Vajpayee, India's 13th prime minister, served the country for three terms between 1996 and 2004.
He is known for his valuable contribution to India's economic growth. The 'Operation Vijay', commonly known as the Kargil War, was fought against Pakistan and won during his tenure as prime minister. He made India a nuclear weapons power.
He had a distinguished four-decade parliamentary career, was elected nine times to the Lok Sabha and twice to the Rajya Sabha.
Rising from humble beginnings in Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) to the post of prime minister, he received the Padma Vibhushan in 1992 for his selfless dedication to the nation and was conferred with Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in 2015.
Vajpayee championed democratic ideals, women's empowerment, and social equality.
As prime minister, he prioritised good governance and economic development, ”building national highways, rural roads, expanding telecom, and improving infrastructure.
