Scott Styris, the former New Zealand all-rounder, retired from cricket more than a decade ago. In a recent chat with t2, we ask him if he still plays the game as a pastime. “My time is done. I have had my fun in the game of cricket. Just like a big fan and like everybody else, I enjoy watching the next generation of superstars do their thing,” he smiles over a Zoom call. He has been watching and commentating on the ongoing India vs Sri Lanka series that is taking place in Sri Lanka and shares with us his current and past favourites and more.

Let’s start with your favourites from the current Indian and Sri Lankan teams...

I have always seen how Riyan Parag goes. It’s really the next wave of players, from India in particular. I was shocked that there was no Abhishek Sharma here. I think it’s time now for Shubman Gill to take a step up.

Where do you think Sri Lanka really went wrong in the last decade?

I think it’s always dangerous to compare teams to previous teams. You look at the last Lankan team. They probably had five or six of their all-time greatest players playing at once... Murali (Muttiah Muralitharan), Lasith Malinga, Sanga (Kumara Sangakkara), Mahela (Jayawardene). When you have all-time greats like that, the next level of players coming through, it’s a really hard barter to try and compete with. We see that in New Zealand as well. We have just come off probably seven or eight years of outstanding cricket and those players are now coming towards the end. So, the next wave of players coming through will be compared to them which I think is unfair, just because of how good they were. And, I think that’s the case with Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

What are your memories of playing with the Fab Five of Indian cricket — Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag?

Those guys were phenomenal. They were so tough to play against. The batting was so strong and you always felt that you might get three or four of them out, but then the other two would take over.... That was the most difficult thing about playing against that Indian top order. They never or very rarely failed, all on the same day. It was great to play against them, but when you were playing against them, you were never in awe of them either. You walked out there thinking you were going to get the better of them and score more runs than they would because if you didn’t walk out there, taking on that magnificent Indian team, then you would be beaten even before you started.

There were a lot of fond memories playing against that team because of the talent they had and the performance they had. It’s one thing having talent. It’s another thing to have the consistency of performance. And, the Indian team certainly did have that.

Who was the toughest to play against?

That’s Virender Sehwag. He loved my bowling! (Laughs) He would love to face me and smash me to all parts. A lot of guys would say ‘Sachin’ who was phenomenal, of course, that goes without saying. Dravid was difficult to get past, but you had to fear Virender Sehwag when you ran into bowl at him.

What do you think #Rohirat brought to the table?

Their contribution has been phenomenal. They should be spoken in the same breath as the Fab Five before that. I was there right from the start. I was a teammate with Rohit (Sharma) in the Deccan Chargers in the first couple of years of the IPL and I got to see first-hand how good he was. We knew at the Deccan Chargers that Rohit Sharma was going to be as good as anyone in the world for a long time and he was. The Indian cricket fan should be proud and acknowledge the contribution that in particular those two (Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli) have made because there is a lot of pressure on the Indian team, wherever they go, around the world. When there is a lot of pressure on you, you look at your senior players and by and large, those two have stood up and been fantastic for so long. It would be a loss, not just for Indian cricket, when they do call it quits, but a loss for the game in general.

What are your memories of playing cricket in India?

I debuted in India (in Rajkot, 1999). I didn’t know what to expect because I had never been to the subcontinent before. New Zealand at that time, we always got the smaller regions, Rajkot and Guwahati (laughs). We never ever got the big cities and stadiums because we are a small nation, even though we play well against India. The dream for me was always to play at Eden Gardens. I put Eden Gardens (Calcutta) up there with Lord’s, the Sydney Cricket Ground, Newland’s (South Africa). It was the IPL where I finally got to play in front of the huge crowd. The ground has so much history and tradition.

I have really fond memories of India due to the passion the game has with fans, but also the fact that places like Eden Gardens and the Wankhede (Mumbai) and the Chinnaswamy (Bangalore) are really awesome stadiums.

Did you enjoy eating Indian food?

Yeah, of course, you have to (laughs), having spent a couple of seasons with the Chennai Super Kings, commentating on the Tamil Nadu Premier League.... particularly breakfast food and a lot of the Southern stuff. I really liked the uttapam which is like a breakfast pancake, isn’t it? Love those, I don’t know why. May be, because I had to make them myself. And, the idlis and the chutneys that go with it down South.

Is Calcutta your favourite city since Eden Gardens is a favourite?

(Laughs) To be honest, I haven’t spent as much time there as I wished. I did commentary in the IPL one year and saw a little bit of Calcutta. The commentators and the TV crew did a walking tour of Calcutta, is that what it is called? I haven’t done it yet, so I am waiting to get back there so that I can learn some of the history and tradition of Calcutta. I have done a tour of Dharavi slum (Mumbai) and it was mind-blowing seeing all of that. I have a real interest in learning the culture and history of this part of the world. It’s so different to New Zealand that I want to enjoy and learn more about it.

Who would you pay to watch from among all the players you have played with?

The big three when I played were Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. They were amazing. Played against Virat, played with and against Rohit, played against Joe Root and Kane Williamson. I was teammates with M.S. Dhoni as well. Those elite, all-time great players, any of them I would play to watch and what I would love to do is to be batting with them and stand at the other end watch them bat which I did for a few of them, which was awesome. We would be talking about all of those guys in 30, 40, 50 years time and we should be because they were that good.

Who are the five players of the modern era who have shaped the vision of how cricket is viewed today and left a lasting impression on how the sport has evolved?

Not so much one player as such, but without going too deep into the history of cricket, Kerry Packer changed cricket in the late ’70s and ’80s with coloured clothing and white ball. Then I think India winning in 2007, the T20 World Cup, in South Africa. It was a huge turning point for cricket and the game just naturally evolves. The skill of the batsman today is so much better than five-six-seven years ago and I expect the skills will continue to improve. Players are now hitting the ball 360 degrees. There was always one or two like AB de Villiers and Co. They are the pioneers. Virat, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Jos Buttler. They shaped the next generation coming through who then now look to take the game to another level. Now you see a lot of players practising every shot.

Watch the live coverage of India Tour of Sri Lanka on Sony Sports Ten 5 & Sony Sports Ten 1 in English, Sony Sports Ten 3 in Hindi and Sony Sports Ten 4 channels in Tamil & Telugu. Sony Sports Network is the official broadcaster for India Tour of Sri Lanka in India