Legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar has drawn a unique parallel between Rishabh Pant and Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz, comparing the two for bringing unpredictability and excitement to their respective sports. While visiting the All England Lawn Tennis Club during the ongoing Wimbledon Championships, Gavaskar noted striking similarities between the two athletes.“Alcaraz is moving around so well, and he’s got all the shots in the book. He can be a bit of a showman sometimes, trying those drop shots when you think he should be finishing the point,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.“But that’s what people come to watch, it’s like watching Rishabh Pant. With Pant, you have to expect the unexpected. Similarly, with Alcaraz, you have got to expect the unexpected. That’s what makes him so exciting,” he added.With Wimbledon coinciding with India’s five-Test series in England, several former and current cricketers have been spotted enjoying tennis at the iconic venue.
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Gavaskar also revealed he prefers attending Wimbledon over visiting Lord’s—unless India are playing at the historic cricket ground.“Every time I am in England around this time, I go to Wimbledon, but I hardly go to Lord’s if India isn’t playing there. So yes, one could say that I come here more often than I go to Lord’s,” he told Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj.Speaking about his pick for the title, Gavaskar added, “I would like Djokovic to win because it would be his 25th Grand Slam title. Nobody has ever won 25 majors, so that would be fantastic. My heart says Djokovic, but I guess my mind says Alcaraz.”
Recently-retired Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli also expressed his admiration for Novak Djokovic and hoped to see him win the Wimbledon crown.“We have exchanged notes and he has been gracious and kind to stay in touch,” Kohli said about Djokovic.“So, I’d say I want Novak and Carlos to be in the final, and ideally for Novak to win this one, because that would be a tremendous achievement for him at this stage of his career.“In the conversation about being the greatest of all time, he’d be right up there with anyone else, if not number one, with the maximum number of Grand Slam titles. He deserves it. Given the amount of hard work he’s put in, I really hope he wins.”
