DNA exclusive | Virat Kohli has the skill and the will, it's a magnificent combination: Viv Richards

Viv Richards is 65 years but does not look like one. He looks fitter and younger without showing any flab that one sees on retired cricketers. “Maan, I play golf now-a-days,” he said with a proud smile when asked if it was running and swimming that did the trick. His stylish, trademark walk with which he approached the batting crease has not changed one bit as also the pride with which he played for the West Indies from the 1970s into the early 1990s.

Richards was in Mumbai for a couple of days on way to Goa to attend the Goafest 2017 starting on Thursday where he is a guest speaker. Of course, he caught up with Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday evening.

In this exclusive conversation with DNA’s G Krishnan on Wednesday, Viv Richards speaks about his admiration for Virat Kohli, his friendship with Ian Botham and how hurt he is to see West Indies not qualify for the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.

Last year, when India toured the West Indies, you said you were proud that Virat Kohli scored his first Test double century at your home ground. What made you say that?

Because I am his admirer, I like his style. I love his aggression on the field. He is a true leader, in my opinion. He leads from the front and I have always felt that if you can do that, it is pretty admirable. I am fan. I have always been a fan of Indian batsmanship. I saw Sunil Gavaskar, I saw Sachin (Tendulkar). I am privilege enough as an individual having played in the past and to witness some of the good things in the present.

You are being humble in saying that it was  your privilege when others die to meet you…

I love that as well. I was quite moved when Virat came to Antigua, my home town, and requested to see me. I went over and saw not just him but all the members of the Indian team as well. It was moving. Someone who can bat that well, and the words I think he used at that time was, he wanted to get my blessing. Wow, it’s mind-blowing to me as an individual. I am just privileged in a big way with the respect shown to an old blast from the past by the modern-day player.

Check out Viv Richards' trademark swagger

Kohli did not stop there. He went on to score three more double Test centuries in the season...

It is the talent. As I said, there are some things that I admire so much about him. And, it is not just the skill level but his will to fulfil that skill. That to me is a wonderful sort of a double combination to have. Because, sometimes you can have guys who have the skill without the will and sometimes you have guys you have the will but not the skill. But to have the two is a magnificent combination. These are things that I admire more than anything else about him.

Do you see yourself in Kohli?

I love the way in which he just defends his team. All leaders do that. He is not afraid. He does not back down. Sometimes, in modern day is tough as well where you have this aggression and sometimes that is coming only from one particular side of the fence. To have someone stand up and say ‘hey, enough is enough. I am going to stand up to you and still going to do well and beat you’. To actually have a guy who defends his team, and every captain does that, leads from the front. That, to me, is very special quality he brings to the game.

Can it affect one’s performance like it did for Kohli against Australia in the recent home series?

You are going to have bad performances regardless of whoever you are as a player. Regardless how great you may be, one thing you never forget is that he went to Australia’s backyard and scored four centuries in four Tests (2014-15). That, to me, is huge in Australia. All the things being said, and to be able to do that, I just feel, and he was still doing the same things as he would have done in his failure. That suggests that every batsman goes through that particular period. One thing is for sure, it did not deter him as a leader. He is still the leader of the team regardless of his failures. But every batsman goes through that in life.

Viv Richards (Picture by Hemant Padalkar)

Kohli recently said he may have lost a few friends in Australia. How tough or emotional can one get?

I am just hoping that the race card did not come into play. If it did come into play, he has got every right to defend himself as a man and his race or whatever needs defending at that particular time. There is nothing wrong with confrontation so long as one does not cross the line. If the race and all that stuff did come into play, that showed the idiotic side and nature of individuals. And, maybe, if it did, he’s got every right to defend and say what he said. I will worry about if I am going to lose a friend or not, but anyone who touches my race and touches what I am defending, and to bring that to sport itself, that is crossing the line.

Friendships have been won or lost on a cricket field. One of the greatest cricketing friendships is between you and Ian Botham…

We have had our competitions. We have competed and but when I put on the maroon (West Indies Test cap) and he puts on the Three Lions for England, he brings a different dimension. That doesn’t deter us at the end of the day from having a good drink. I still call him a friend. At times, we put aside the emotional stuff. That sometimes is on the field. At the end of it, as long as you don’t cross the border, that’s one of the issues that can sometimes deter the friendship.

Where do you see Kohli among other modern stars like Steve Smith, Joe Root, Kane Williamson and David Warner? Who is your favourite?

They all are good players. What I want to see is for them to be able to go abroad and succeed, not just how they perform at home. That success itself can be a great help to their teams. That will start putting them in the great category and their achievements can help them too. Performing abroad, to me, is what constitutes how great you are, not just when you are at home and in your home conditions.

That, to me, is the pinnacle of great teams. I have always made comparisons in soccer where you have a team that is as good any or even better. Great teams go anywhere and win. That’s what puts them in the category of greatness, and if that can be maintained, India has got something now to prove. Especially with the wickets they have played on at home.

To go abroad, the  Ashwins and all these good spinners, when they go abroad, not just to be able to take wickets but to be economically okay as well. Then you start putting them in the category of greatness. But, they are pretty good at the moment.

You touched upon Kohli going to Australia and excelling. Do you think his life will come a full circle when he goes and scores heavily in England after his 2014 failure there?

Yeah. I think he knows that. I think he is a guy who is looking to improve every time. He is looking to do that. And, this is what great players do. If they make amends when they get the next opportunity, on the lessons learnt from his experience in England, ‘How am I going to approach being in England next time?’ I think he has got the intentions. He won’t lack the will. That I know for sure.

You dominated the opposition all over the world, and not just at home. What did batting mean to you?

Batting to me is batting anywhere and getting the job done. You may not like conditions that you may be in. But you find a way. I have always appreciated that. That, to me, was the hallmark of the form overseas apart from the way you are accustomed to playing (at home). That puts you in a different class if you accomplish these things. There’s nothing wrong with doing well at home but in other conditions that may sometimes not be suitable to you, that you can still get the job done, that to me is finding a way, and all great players do that.

How much of playing domestic cricket in Australia and England helped you to excel outside the West Indies?

It was all about having the experience. Actually, I went to Australia after I started playing Test cricket. That to me gave me an opportunity going back to places like Australia again because of that experience not just as a Test match player but also as a domestic player for every team which I played then – Queensland. It gave me an insight of what to expect each time I went there. And I guess this must be the same for all individuals who would have participated and played wherever.

Viv Richards (Picture by Hemant Padalkar) 

The ICC is stepping in to restrict the size of the bats. Do the size of bats matter at all to you?

I don’t think so. My message is to make things simple. We are moving forward, the guys are getting stronger. The bats are improving or finding ways and means to improve. I don’t think there is anything that is illegal in bats themselves. Be smart. Make the boundaries a little bigger. It is a simple, simple way to react. There should be a specific rule on how big the boundaries should be. When you have boundaries that are 60 and 65 yards one side, the batsmen feel as if they are firing from AK47 or a collection of whatever it may be. Make the boundaries bigger. Make them at least 75-80 yards all parts of the ground. Too many times, we want to see the ball flying over the fences for sixes. That’s what makes it look like the bats are illegal. Be smart. Make the boundaries of specific size. If they do that, then I know for sure, we can start to look at all other options that you think you can restrict.

ICC is coming up with red cards for players’ unruly behaviour. Where do you think cricket is heading?

To be fair, the confrontation factor would have helped to bring in all the suggestions. If they can deal with individuals who would have crossed that line, it is about being strong. It is not about yellow or red cards. It is about making sure that whichever individuals say things that are contrary for what ICC stands for, its racism policy, make that person pay severely for his action.

You took up a coaching role in Pakistan Super League. Do you see yourself taking up a similar role for the West Indies?

I would love to. I have always dreamt of it.  I will tell you something, I can get the job done away from home when you have administrators who hate to be criticised. Who better to criticise the individual than anyone who has had success in the past? The Michael Holdings, the Andy Robertses and all these people who know what success is all about. Not the administrators who were attracted because of what went on in the past. They should listen to good common sense. If they start listening to that, put people who have an understanding and history of winning, then we will be heading on the right track. It may not be the recipe for immediate success but at least give them the chance to do so.

The West Indies have not qualified for this year’s Champions Trophy. Does it pain you?

It hurts. It hurts. That is like a body shock that I was not prepared for. Our cricket is much better than the T20 tournaments West Indies would have won. We have much more talent than that. We must be competing in the 50-over stuff. For us not to, it suggests that something is drastically wrong in terms of the confrontational side of things with administrators and players, and players’ bodies and minds have not fully been what they should have been. Because, if it is not settled at the top, how would you expect the guys on the field to accomplish?

How much would you have enjoyed playing in the T20 leagues, particularly IPL?

I still believe that there are opportunities to do so. But, what I see, some of these franchises have been taken over by so many individuals who see the lucrative side of thingss, what the IPL represent. Some of the individuals in my opinion who are coaches, and self-made coaches, have put themselves in positions and also think they have the knowledge about the game much more than anyone else.

To be fair, there are a lot of folks like myself who have not quite had the opportunity. I don’t think  T20 is about coaching environment. It is a management side of things. Coaching is for kindergarten. It is not for professional players who know exactly what the game is all about. It is managing, identifying where you can help mentally at some point and get a guy to fulfil his goals. There is a clique of individuals who look after their friends and often certain countries around the world and incorporate their friends and companions, which I think is naughty. There is a lot of folks who can just give an input as some of these guys.

How do you see the future of Test cricket? Is T20 taking over other formats?

T20, for sure. It is a pretty popular format. It is an extension of the game itself. But, if we get the ICC and the governing bodies to put things in place where, rather than individuals thinking that ‘my first attraction is to go and play T20’, then we start losing the side of Test match cricket. To put things in place where individuals should at least represent their countries at that level and then when they are successful and having an understanding about what the game itself represents, the game is much wider than what we see at the present.

 The game has produced some of the greatest players in the past who would also be pioneers for what is happening in the future. If we can put certain things in place to modify the influx of individuals who want to be on the other side of the fence because of that money attraction, we should at least give them an understanding why they want to be playing cricket in the first place if there wasn’t any T20. When you can do this (Test cricket), then you can be able to do that (play T20). That to me will create a much bigger pool of players to perform at T20 level. The breeding place should be here (Test) to be able to be there (T20).