Colombo: He is one of the game's most respected voices. Former England captain Tony Greig and he is in Sri Lanka as part of the commentary team. In an exclusive interview with CNN-IBN's Himanshu Singhal, Greig offered his take on the transition that Indian cricket is going through and of course the menace of Mendis.
Tony Greig: Well! You got to watch the ball very closely. Historically, the Indians have been very good at playing spin. I think one or two older players just got a little too lazy. They were not watching the ball in his hand.
There is a strategy - for example, if the ball pitches outside the off stump and if you are not sure what you are going to do then you must play it as an off-spinner. Don't play it as a leg spinner because then you are going to leave the gate and you are going to be out lbw. So, there are a few things that you can do but nothing is more important than getting a little exposure to it and of course he has just come into the scene, so not many of them had the match exposure.
CNN-IBN: Do you think that Murali and Mendis now make for a formidable combination as far as Sri Lanka is concerned and definitely give them an upper hand in the series?
PAGE_BREAK
Tony Greig: Individually they are good bowlers and collectively they are even better. I think Murali is going to enjoy himself, as there is not much pressure on him.
CNN-IBN: Do you think the Indian seniors need to be really accountable or need to perhaps answer the critics and perhaps make some runs for the team as well?
Tony Greig: Look you don't have to really tell the seniors players like Ganguly, Laxman, Dravid and Tendulkar that they have had a bad time. They know exactly when they have had a bad time and they will do their level best to rectify that. There is no future in having too much of a bad run.
The question I suppose they must have been addressing internally, quietly is the whole question of whether retirement is getting close and once you start thinking about retirement then it takes a little bit of an edge out of your game. But historically, the Indians have not retired they had to be kicked out. They don't retire.
CNN-IBN: What do you think is going to be the key for the Indian cricket team here in this ODI series? One Indian player to watch out for in this series as far as Sri Lankan conditions are concerned?
Tony Greig: Well! It is going to be Dhoni. He leads the side well and team has done well under his leadership. He has persisted with the youngsters. So, he is the man.