'The crowd here is excellent'

Irish cricketer Kevin O’Brien thoroughly enjoyed the attention and the hospitality showered on him when he was in the City recently. He talked to Metrolife at length about his experiences in India and cricket among other things.

“I could not go anywhere in the City this time, it has been a very hectic tour. But I was here during the World Cup and liked this place a lot. The weather here is brilliant and the hospitality that I receive here is amazing,” he says.

He goes on to say that it was a relief to come to a warmer place as the harsh winter has already on in Ireland.

Cricket, being his favourite topic, he notes that the youngsters in the Indian team are doing a good job and that his favourite is Virat Kohli.

“He is a very stylish player, he loves to play the ball hard and is a treat to watch. The youngsters on the Indian side are doing pretty well. More young players should be given the opportunity to play on the Indian side,” adds Kevin.

He thinks cricket is something that binds both the countries together and that the spirit of the Indians, when it comes to cricket, is incomparable.

“Cricket is like a religion in India and so is the film industry. It’s a pleasure to play here. The crowd is excellent as well as encouraging. It really drives the cricketer who is on the field. The spirit is fabulous,” he notes.

Throwing light on his team, he says that they have done well for themselves and have managed to win some matches against strong sides. “We did very well in the Twenty20 World Cup and have won many matches. Things have been looking up for us this year,” he says.

The popularity of the Twenty20 format has been critiqued by many players, however the Irish player loves this format of the game and points out that it demands
a lot of energy from the players.

   “The new format is a lot of fun and has many fans. It is power-packed as well as entertaining. But no one can dispute the fact that Test cricket has its own charm and class. Any player would prefer the Test format to the current formats. I am a huge fan of Test cricket; it has its own standard and class.”

He points that cricket today has room for all types of format. “Today, we have space for all formats of the game and every format has its own followers,” he adds.

On the debate whether Sachin Tendulkar should retire or not, Kevin, says that he is a great player and is very much in form. “He is doing very well and is still hitting the ball pretty well. It is only he who will be able to answer this question and no one else,” he explains.

With Christmas just round the corner, the cricketer says that he will keep his eyes open and pick up gifts and tokens for his family. “If I see anything great, I will pick it up for my friends and family members. I will spend the holidays with my family,” sums up Kevin.