Adelaide: Barry Richards, who may have rewritten records in plenty had South Africa not been isolated in 1970, spoke to The Telegraph at the Hilton on Saturday morning.

Now 70, Barry is a true legend and his exploits continue to be talked about when there’s a discussion on the batsmen who stood out by miles.

Barry was also part of the Kerry Packer revolution, in the late 1970s. 

Excerpts...

Q India have won the Test series against South Africa most convincingly. Did the two three-day finishes surprise you?

A I did watch some of the series on the TV... The Nagpur wicket wasn’t a good one, but had South Africa shown the fight and determination in the first innings, then they wouldn’t have crashed to 79 all out. At least some more runs would have made it a lot closer in the second innings. South Africa did show some fight then, but that ought to have been so in the first innings. To be bowled out for 79, faced with 215, did no justice to anybody. It wasn’t a true reflection of the wicket either. 

But South Africa had collapsed in the second innings of the first Test, in Mohali, as well...

That’s right. South Africa, to my mind, didn’t prepare well for the conditions which should have been anticipated. They ought to have expected the wickets to suit India’s No.1 strike bowler, Ravichandran Ashwin. On turning wickets, South Africa should have targeted a combined total of between 350-400 runs, making it an average of between 175-200 in each innings. That didn’t happen. You have to look at the end product and plan your approach accordingly. 

The lack of preparation, as you say, is baffling... South Africa, after all, landed in India as far back as the end of September...

Hopefully, South Africa would learn from this and be better prepared the next time they played in India... At the toss, you have to target a score and, then, go about getting those runs. From what I could make out, a lot of South Africa’s batsmen put their hands up all too soon, saying to themselves that they’d eventually get out, in any case. I accept that it’s not easy to bat on turning wickets, but that’s the challenge at the international level. At the very least, one has to play with soft hands. 

Captain Hashim Amla’s failures (90 runs in five innings) made it worse for South Africa... Then, even AB de Villiers managed no more than 173 runs...

Sure, that didn’t help, because South Africa rely on Hashim to get the wheels of motion going. Actually, I would have been tempted to open with Hashim and Dean Elgar. Stiaan van Zyl has been made into an opener, but he’s suited for the middle order. So, the openers didn’t get partnerships and Hashim’s failures made it more difficult for the batsmen who followed. I’d like to add I like Elgar, he’s a fighter... He’s like a bulldog. 

Whatever may be said about the wickets, India deserve credit for crushing the No.1-ranked Test team. Your thoughts?

Ashwin’s a really good bowler and he certainly deserves credit (for 24 wickets in five innings)... But, had Ashwin bowled for South Africa, and Simon Harmer for India, the result would’ve been different. India knew who’d be their match winner and planned accordingly. Irrespective of how responsive a wicket is, bowlers still need to get batsmen out. Ashwin did that.

But for Ashwin, India would’ve been in a soup, for the batsmen didn’t get runs...

South Africa’s attack did pretty well, considering that Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander didn’t play after the first Test and Morne Morkel wasn’t available when the two of them played... With his reverse swing, Steyn would have been a handful in the last Test... At the Test level, Imran Tahir is good against the lower order batsmen, not the ones at the top. He leaks too many runs by bowling a bad ball in every over. If he’s to be persisted with at this level, then South Africa have to find a way to get early wickets so that he doesn’t come under a lot of pressure.
[India’s highest total turned out to be 215, in the first innings in Nagpur.] 

Do you expect repercussions in South Africa?

No, no. I expect the result to be regarded as a one-off. South Africa’s still a good team and should get over this blip quickly. One Test remains, but it’s all over.

Your expectations from the final Test, in New Delhi...

I expect another turning wicket. There’s less wear and tear in the first innings, so let’s hope South Africa get it right in innings No.1 to start with.

What have you made of Virat Kohli, captaining in a home series for the first time?

Kohli wasn’t tested because the conditions were in favour of his team... It was all laid out for him, made easier for him... That said, I like the way he goes about his job, but he’ll be tested away from the subcontinent. Barring a dramatic loss of form, Kohli should be around for some years.

Is Ravi Shastri’s involvement, as the team director, making a difference?

Ravi won’t make a difference to the players who’ve been around the world, but the newer lot would benefit. He was a savvy cricketer and, after retiring, travelled the globe as a commentator. He’ll be able to give an insight into what to expect in different countries. It’s good to have Ravi on board.

You watched the opening day of the first Day/Night Test. What did you make of it?

Cricket needs to adjust with the times. I accept that D/N Tests can’t happen at every venue because of dew and other factors, but it’s a good idea. Any change shouldn’t impact too much on the history of the sport, but when over 47,000 spectators turn up, it says something.

Is there space for all three formats?

I think there is, but the calendar has to be drawn up carefully. 

What was your approach when you took guard?

It would depend on the wicket, on the state of the match... If it’s an easy wicket, set the bar higher. If not, a little lower. You have to assess. In my view, there’s no set method when you take guard. 

The final one... Why is it that we haven’t got to see another Barry Richards or another (Sir) Vivian Richards?

AB is very good, just look at the way he invents strokes... He has the flair... I’m not saying Kohli’s as good as Sachin Tendulkar, but he’s a good batsman, too. Joe Root is there and David Warner also bats with plenty of flair. He’s positive and likes taking the attack to the opposition. However, he’ll have to adapt to conditions where the ball swings.