“Now they will sack the curator of the Cricket Association of Bengal, I guess,” said Bishan Singh Bedi, outspoken as ever, when asked about India’s impending defeat to England in the third Test at the Eden Gardens.
The former India skipper, typically, minced no words while talking to The Hindu here on Saturday.
“I think the Indians are paying for their lack of preparation and an obsession with avenging the 4-0 whitewash in England last year,” he said. “After they lost so badly in Mumbai, why couldn’t they have gone to Kolkata well in advance to prepare for this Test?”
Not a bright idea
Bedi, who is here as the Jammu & Kashmir coach for the Ranji match against Kerala, said it wasn’t a bright idea to think too much of taking revenge.
“And what was the need for calling for square turners?” he asked.
“I think M.S. Dhoni has been lucky as a captain; Indian captains do not normally survive this long while losing,”he said.
Bedi was all praise for England spinners Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar.
“Swann is one of the finest off-spinners I have seen for a long time; he is easily the best spinner — of any kind – in world cricket at the moment,” he said. “And Panesar is good too. If he had played the Ahmedabad Test, India could have been 0-3 down.”
He said the England spinners were doing particularly well because they were backed by a competent, confident side that was determined to do well.
“And they are playing against a team with stars some of whose best days are behind them,” he said.
Leave it to Sachin
About Sachin Tendulkar he said, nobody had the right to tell the maestro when to retire. “Tendulkar is the only one who can make that decision,” he said.
