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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Sai Baba temple at Shirdi not to allow garlands, bouquets, shawls inside
Mumbai, May 10 (PTI): Amid heightened security concerns in the country, the Sai Baba temple trust at Shirdi in Maharashtra has decided not to allow garland, bouquets and shawls to brought inside the temple complex.
The famous temple which draws millions of devotees every year had received a threatening email last week.
Goraksh Gadilkar, a member of the Sai Baba Sansthan Trust, said devotees will be searched before entering the temple.
"The Sansthan received a threat email on May 2. In view of India-Pakistan tensions and the security alert across the country, flowers, garlands, prasad and shawls will not be allowed inside," he told PTI.
The Ahilyanagar district police have also made some suggestions to enhance the security of the temple.
On Friday, the Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai said it will not allow garlands, prasad and coconuts inside from May 11.
