Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Syed Kirmani spoke exclusively to espnstar.com on India’s victory in the West Indies.

By Chandraboli Mitra

Q. Do you consider India's ODI-series victory against the West Indies in the Caribbean Islands as a big achievement as India played with a depleted team?

A. I won't say it is a great achievement because they were not very convincing during the one-day series. The West Indies team gave them a real tough challenge and competition. Neither the batting nor the bowling was up to the mark and India surely missed the experience of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan. They are the guys, who form the integral part of the team.

Q. Do you feel that India were lucky to have won the series? In the first ODI, West Indies almost chased down the massive target of 340, while in the third one-dayer, West Indies fell victim to the Duckworth-Lewis method, and the fourth ODI got abandoned.

A. I don't want to take away the credit from the Indian team. They did well enough to clinch the four-match ODI series but I would say that luck does play a big role in cricket at times. However, that is a part and parcel of the game. In cricket, one performance can make a player an overnight hero, while a bad performance can spoil all the previous good works. But it is the sincere and the honest efforts that pay rich dividends in the end and I feel India gave their best in the series.

Q. Do you think the critics, who were out with their knives against India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni after defeat in the ICC World T20, would be swallowing their words now?

A. I think media always want to create too much hype and while doing so, they most of the times just blow it away. One day, media make a particular player the 'God' and the very next day, they bury him into the grave. One series or one performance can't decide anything at all. It was just a matter of one series - the ICC World Twenty20 that India had lost and people were out there criticising the team as well as the captain, which is extremely unfair. They must give a team or an individual some time before praising or criticising.

Q. What do you have you say about Dhoni's performance?

A. Dhoni is a class player. He has been extremely consistent with his performance always. Every player goes through a slump of form in his career but a class player always comes out of it. And Dhoni is no different. He has consistently proved himself both as a batsman as well as a wicketkeeper and of course, as the captain. He has always come to India's rescue and it was good to see him amongst runs when India needed it during the West Indies series.

Q. With this victory, India have completed a hat-trick of series wins overseas - they won in Sri Lanka 4-1, followed by New Zealand 3-1 and now in West Indies 2-11. Do you consider this the best India team ever?

A. No. I won't say this is the best India team ever. Every era has legendary players and every team achieve something or the other. The team of 1983 won the World Cup and no of the other India teams have been able to achieve it till now. But still, the winning squad of the 1983 can't be called the ‘best team ever'. Similarly, you can't call the present team also the best ever. However, you can say that this team is the best since 1990s.

Q. Do you think some days of rest will do a world of good to the India team players as they will now have a break till September?

A. Yes, absolutely! It would be a great break. In fact, with so much cricket being played all year round, in some time we would see teenagers retiring from cricket (laughs). Playing continuous cricket certainly hamper the players' health. These days players have become extremely prone to injuries. The fierce competition these days adds to the pressure and the players' reflexes also slow down very soon. Every player do carry some injury or the other all the time but don't want to take rest because so much of money is at stake.

Q. Do you think Twenty20 cricket is to be blamed for this and do you also feel that it is killing the other formats of the game?

A. Changes have to come in and it is also good the over-all development of the game. But it is up to the individual players how they carry themselves. And I feel the twenty20 format will only help in the betterment of the other versions of the game. Test cricket will become more result-oriented and it will be good for the game in the long run.

Q. What do you think is in store for Team India in the coming season?

A. Before the start of the West Indies series, Dhoni had said that he would look to restore the lost prestige, and he and his team has been able to do so. Now, they should look to continue the winning streak. But they should always remember that you win some and you lose. You can't have good times always neither can you always have bad times. So, just go out there and enjoy your cricket.