'That was not the time for comparison' - Sunil Gavaskar breaks silence over controversial statements on Shane Warne

After his controversial statements against the late Australian spinner Shane Warne, Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has now come forward and expressed his regrets on the same. It so happened that during an interview on Saturday, March 5 that was conducted in the memory of Warne, Gavaskar had rated Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan over the Melbourne cricketer and at the same time also said that the leggie’s record is ‘pretty ordinary’ against India.

However, the 1983 World Cup winner’s personal opinion did not go down well with the fans and they lashed out at him on social media for comparing a player on a show which was offering their last respects to the leg-spinner after his untimely demise on March 4.  Now, the legendary cricketer has come forward and said that he should have never been asked this question in the first place nor he should have answered it either.

That question shouldn’t have been asked: Sunil Gavaskar

“On TV, I was asked by an anchor whether Warne was the greatest spinner ever and I gave my personal, honest opinion. In hindsight, that question shouldn’t have been asked nor should have been answered. That was not the time for any comparison or critical evaluation”, said Gavaskar in a video posted on his official Instagram handle.

“Warne was one of the greatest cricketers to have ever graced the game. Rodney Marsh too was one of the greatest wicketkeepers the game has seen. May their souls rest in eternal peace”, he added.

What did Sunil Gavaskar exactly say?

“No, I wouldn’t say that (Warne is the greatest spinner of all time). For me, the Indian spinners and Muttiah Muralitharan were certainly better than Shane Warne. Because look at his record against India. His record is pretty ordinary against India. He got five wickets only once in Nagpur. Because he didn’t have much success against the Indian team, I would rank Muralitharan over him in my book”, said Sunil Gavaskar while speaking to Sports Today.

Meanwhile, it has been officially confirmed that the 1999 World Cup winner’s funeral will take place at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, and a massive crowd is expected to attend the event.