Gavaskar praises Queen’s Park Cricket Club

Gavaskar spoke jovially and at length about making his debut at the Oval, notching half-centuries in both innings in a seven-wicket as he teased Sir Garry Sobers for dropping him on a few other occasions in the five-match Test series, which India won 1-0.

He touted Sobers as “the best cricketer to have ever played the game” and also as his idol, mentoring him when they played together outside international cricket, both on and off the field.

“We were in awe of the West Indians.

That 1971 series I debuted, many of us Indians were in awe seeing the likes of Sir Garry and Rohan Kanhai. The pedigree of players now is different with T20 cricket which they didn’t have in my day but West Indies still have mighty talent.

“This ground is my second home and I love coming back to the Oval. It’s also a pleasure to see Queen’s Park producing such talents consistently,” said Gavaskar in the wake of a condemned Test against India which is currently under scrutiny.

Gavaskar tops the list at the Oval with four centuries, the highest individual Test knock of 220 at an average of 99. He admitted that cricketers needed to evolve if they were to maintain playing all formats as West Indies face India in T20 action in Florida.

“It comes down to technique.

You’ve got powerful players like Pollard and smart players like the Bravos. India are also playing all formats and doing well. The balance needs to be found depending on what format you are playing and West Indians need to take note of it. T20 cricket is exciting and keeps you on your toes so I wouldn’t blame it for anything. Players have to adapt and also, factor in the state of the region’s pitches,” he continued.

Gavaskar stressed on seniority and players taking care of the youngsters in the dressing room.

“T20 cricket brings a lot of West Indian players together as well as together with other international cricketers so they need to pass on this knowledge. I can see Queen’s Park turning out more and more cricket stars as they have players playing all over the world but West Indians in general need to strike that balance and patience to play across all formats,” he ended.