Calcutta : Dilip Rasiklal Doshi, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB)'s 2015 Lifetime Achievement awardee, spoke to The Telegraph from his London residence on Saturday evening.

With a legal fight between Montblanc and Doshi's company, Entrack International, taking up much time, he couldn't be in the city to receive the award in person.

Doshi, 67, played 33 Tests and 15 ODIs for India between 1979-1983. The left-arm spinner had to wait till he was almost 32 to make his debut.

Excerpts...

Q Had you been present at the Eden, on Saturday, who would you have remembered the most on getting the Lifetime Achievement Award?

A Sir Garry (Garfield Sobers) and Bishu'da (Biswanath Dutt).

Why?

Sir Garry for recommending me to Nottinghamshire, in 1973, and inviting me to play for the County against the touring West Indies that summer... I'd been playing for Meltham Cricket Club in the Huddersfield League and somebody had requested Sir Garry to see me bowl in person. He came for one of our matches and quietly sat in the crowd. I had no idea he was there. Later, the icon wished me and recommended my name to Notts. My Championship debut was in 1977, but I'd been playing for the County from 1973 itself. But for Sir Garry's recommendation, I may never have played in the Championship, which then attracted the very best in the business.

Dutt?

I'm thankful to Bishu'da , who was then the CAB president, for reinstating me in the Bengal team after the selectors had dropped me for the match against Assam, in the 1978-79 season. Not many months later, I was playing for India. Had Bishu'da not intervened, it's possible I wouldn't have gone on to play for the country.

Why did the Bengal selectors drop you?

Local politics, I suppose, was at play. I was close to 31 then and they probably thought I was too old for the Ranji Trophy. They forgot that, till just months ago, I'd been playing County cricket. Strange.

Looking back, the five key moments in your career...

• Being a member of the Calcutta University team which won the Rohinton Baria in 1967-68... Actually, the Sports Board had decided not to participate in the tournament, but we made a strong representation to the vice-chancellor. Fortunately, he okayed Calcutta University's participation. We carved out a historic win over Indore.

•  Making my Ranji Trophy debut, against Orissa, in 1968-69... I went wicketless in the first innings, but picked up a couple in innings No.2. That set me on the road to eventually playing for India.

•  Turning out for Notts in the County Championship... I recall even the established stars found it tough to play for one of the Counties. But Sir Garry's recommendation did wonders.

•  Getting reinstated in the Bengal team, in 1978-79... Had Bishu'da not intervened and quickly corrected a wrong, I may never have gone on to play for India in the very next season. I remain indebted to the former president of the Board and the CAB.

•  Playing in the MCG Test, in 1980-81, despite a fractured left toe... I took five wickets in the match and helped India win big. Had I gone public about the fracture, I wouldn't have played. I can't forget the help extended by Dr Bill Guiliano of the Melbourne Football Club. His treatment ensured the swelling was contained. The only other person who knew of the fracture was my roommate, T.E. Srinivasan, who sadly is no more.

You were almost 32 when you made your India debut. Didn't you ever think of giving up the dream?

I've never understood what 'giving up' means... Such words have never existed in my dictionary.

Some general questions... How do we start winning Tests overseas?

To win overseas, you need bowlers who can take 20 wickets. Winning at home may not be that big a deal, because of the conditions, but that too isn't guaranteed.

So, what needs to be done?

Those connected with cricket in India must weed out bowlers with a suspect action. Not only are they allowed to play, they keep playing for years. Whether they're in the Maidan of Calcutta or the grounds in Mumbai, they have to be stopped from bowling. You need good bowlers, not bowlers who don't bowl within the laws and rules. I don't wish to take names, but people know who all have benefited from leniency.

Last month, India lost the ODI series in Bangladesh. Is our one-day cricket stagnating?

Look, we have to accept others are improving. At the international level, it's disastrous if you remain static. You've got to keep moving forward. At the end of the day, it all gets down to what I told you yesterday (Friday) - you need to be hungry for excellence. I have no issues with the cricketers being paid well, they should be, but be hungry to get better, not be hungry for other things.

One school of thought favours Virat Kohli being made the India captain across formats. What's your take?

Being a regular in all teams, Virat could well captain in every format. Why not?

Any comments on the IPL-related controversies?

No. I don't know much and, so, I should stay away from the IPL.

The final one... What went wrong between Sunil Gavaskar and you?

I don't want to go back 30-plus years... That's history... Differences can crop up, but you don't harbour them all your life. One moves on... Sunny and I are friends. In fact, we've been so for years. Let's leave it at that.