"Don't Think I Would Call Him The Greatest": Sunil Gavaskar Skewered Over Comment On Shane Warne

India batting legend Sunil Gavaskar expressed his shock at the untimely death of Australian spin great Shane Warne. Gavaskar lavished praise on Warne's contribution to cricket, however, said that the Australian was not the greatest spinner of all time. Speaking on a show on India Today, the Indian batting great and former India captain said that "Indian spinners and Muttiah Muralitharan were certainly better than Warne". The Australian spinner died aged 52 on Friday due to a suspected heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand.

Shane Warne took 708 Test wickets and another 293 in one-day internationals, but Gavaskar said that in his opinion, Sri Lankan spin ace Muralitharan was a "rank over him".

"For me, the Indian spinners and Muttiah Muralitharan were certainly better than Warne. Because look at Warne's record against India. It was pretty ordinary against India," Gavaskar said on India Today.

"Because he didn't have much success against Indian players, who are very good players of spin bowling, I don't think I would call him the greatest. I think, Muttiah Muralitharan with the success that he had against India would rank over him in my book."

"He was always looking to live life fully, king size as they call it and he did that and maybe because he lived life in such a manner is perhaps the reason why his heart couldn't take it and he passed away so soon," Gavaskar said.

The timing of Gavaskar's comments and his remark on Australian's lifestyle upset some of Warne's fans on social media.

Sunil Gavaskar on national television talking about Warne's poor bowling record in India and also insinuating that his heart couldn't keep up with his lifestyle.

How is it possible to be so bereft of class and basic humanness?

— Shubi Arun (@loudspeaker19) March 4, 2022

Gavaskar needs to be banned from attending interviews and all!

That comment on Warne was so disgusting! Really felt bad

— Pandemic Pep (@afc_anubhav) March 5, 2022

Dear Sunil Gavaskar sir,

Late Shane Warne had Glen McGrath, Damien Fleming, Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee with more than 1000 test wickets in his team and yet he had 708 test wickets.if you are saying he is not the best spinner ever played then you are smoking something really bad.

— siddharth barjatya (@sidbarjatya) March 5, 2022

Randeep it's time you stop inviting the great Sunil Gavaskar to your show. The man is a disgrace. No one puts down a man the way he did, in the day he died, in this case, the great Shane Warne. Gavaskar was a complete failure against Dennis Lillee in the one series he played him

— Marvin Rodrigues (@MarvinRodrigues) March 4, 2022

Gavaskar is probably a egomaniac who thinks he and some of his mates from his era are bigger than the sport itself.

No sensitivity, no empathy. Just words that are meant to hurt someone. Gideon Heigh was uncomfortable when Gavaskar was spouting his bs.

— AV (@RangnickTime) March 5, 2022

"Sunil Gavaskar uses Shane Warne's death an an opportunity to say that Indian spinners and Muralitharan were better, because of their records against India. Honestly, Sunny, it's not the time.. could have just sidestepped it. The body isn't even cold yet," wrote another user.

Warne's death followed that of fellow Australian great, wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, at the age of 74.

"Within the space of 24 hours, the cricket world has lost two giants of the game, not just Australian cricket but the cricket world. Rodney Marsh and then Shane Warne. This is unbelievable. Hard to come to grips with," Gavaskar said.

"He (Warne) mastered a craft which is so difficult, which is wrist spin. To pick 700-plus wickets like he did in Test cricket, hundreds more in one-day cricket tells you how good a bowler he was.

"Finger spin is a lot easier, you have more control over what you want to bowl but leg spin or wrist spin is very tough. For him to have bowled the way he did, the way he seemed to create magic...at will was the reason he was revered all over the cricketing world."

(With Reuters inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Australia Cricket Team Sunil Gavaskar Rodney Marsh Shane Warne Cricket