CHENNAI, MAR 19,
It was another busy day for Alvin Kallicharran in the city of his roots. The West Indian great visited the Akshaya Arbol School at Injambakkam, addressing the students and sharing his experiences, here on Monday.
Later in the day, Kallicharran shared his thoughts with The Hindu.
Balanced side
He rated India one of the favourites for the ICC World Cup and said, “Previously, they went on tours with just hope. Now they travel with the definite idea of winning.
“They are balanced, have the batting, the pace bowling and some good wrist spinners who can clean out sides.”
Kallicharran observed, “You have Kohli as the general and M.S. Dhoni as the lieutenant- general. That’s a terrific combination.” Talking about Kohli’s batting, Kallicharran said, “He knows how to construct an innings. He can find the gaps — the hallmark of a good player — and manipulate the field. Kohli plays a lot of ground shots, takes the team home.” Kallicharran said Jasprit Bumrah reminded him of Sylvester Clarke, the fearsome former West Indian quick. “Bumrah has an ambling run-up but has a high and a quick-arm action.
“He gets awkward bounce from a good length and hits the batsmen on the body. Not as fast and menacing as Clarke but pretty similar and effective.”
Other favourites
The West Indian great picked Australia, England and West Indies as the other favourites.
“Australia will be bolstered by the return of David Warner and Steve Smith. England will be playing at home and the West Indies, if they pick the right team, has a chance.”
Kallicharran said, “But in England a lot would depend on the conditions on that particular day.
“If there is a cloud cover in the morning and sunshine in the afternoon, the team batting first will suffer. The weather will be an evener.”
