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| August 14, 2003 | Thursday | Jumadi-us-Sani 15, 1424 |
Gavaskar renews tussle with Lillee
NEW DELHI, Aug 13: India’s cricket great Sunil Gavaskar on Wednesday renewed his verbal rivalry with Dennis Lillee, blaming the Australian fast bowler for his infamous walkout from the pitch more than two decades ago.
“It was triggered by personal abuse on Lillee’s part,” said Gavaskar, the first batsman to compile 10,000 runs in Test cricket.
Gavaskar led his opening partner Chetan Chauhan off the field during the Melbourne Test in 1981, protesting against an umpiring decision after being adjudged leg-before off Lillee.
A major crisis was averted by Indian manager Shahid Durrani, who met the pair at the gate and ordered Chauhan back to the middle.
“If you look at the video, I am walking towards the pavilion. I turned back only on hearing the abuse and then took Chauhan away,” Gavaskar told the Times of India.
“Had there been no abuse, I would have vented my anger out in the dressing-room. I expressed my regret about the incident then itself and again during the Cowdrey lecture.”
Lillee had reacted sharply to Gavaskar’s comments at the Colin Cowdrey memorial lecture at Lord’s last month in which he had accused Australia for harming the game’s image by their on-field sledging.
Lillee said: “I think it’s funny coming from someone who took his bat and went home when an umpire’s decision went against him.
“Sledging has gone on since W.G. Grace and it will go on as long as any sport is played, not just cricket. If they think it’s too bad, the authorities are there to stop it.”
Gavaskar warned the world that players may come to blows if personal abuse was not stopped immediately.
“Those who are defending sledging are (in fact) those who practice it,” said Gavaskar, taking a swipe at the Australians.
“If personal abuse is part of the game, then it’s a different game that I’ve played. The West Indian players never did it.
“Courtney Walsh, the world’s highest wicket-taker, never uttered a word. They may have induldged in eyeball-to-eyeball tussles, but that’s not the same as personal abuse. That’s not what the fans want to see.
“I have seen even schoolboys in Kenya behave shockingly on the field.”
Gavaskar, however, backed Lillee’s claim that that his brother-in-law Gundappa Viswanath was a better batsman than him.
“I agree with Lillee that Vishy was better,” Gavaskar said.
“In fact, I’m on record about this and I repeat that Vishy was the best batsman of my generation because of the quality of the bowling that he faced and the conditions under which he made runs.”—AFP
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