Calcutta: John Michael Brearley (74), among the most cerebral of cricket captains across eras and widely respected as an Elder Statesman of sport, recently spoke to The Telegraph.

The questions were largely random in nature.

Excerpts...

Having come to Calcutta for the Tiger Pataudi Memorial Lecture (on March 12), his first visit in 19 years...

I was struck by and reminded of the terrific interest for cricket in the city... In a different context, I recall the one time that Derek Underwood was really ruffled was during the rest day of the 1976-77 Test at Eden Gardens when another extended family sought "one more" photograph when he was reclining by the hotel's poolside... Those weren't the days of selfies (I was, of course, approached for a few during my visit to Calcutta)... Underwood marched towards that family with an arm outstretched to shield his face. Maybe, a fading print of that photograph would be somewhere.

Thoughts on having captained England to three Ashes wins...

Decades on... There's a good deal of pleasure and delight. There was a lot of luck, too, like in 1981.

First Ashes Test...

I got the captaincy at Lord's in 1977 because Tony Greig had been omitted after recruiting for Kerry Packer's World Series.

Thoughts on the eve of that Test...

I actually had two dreams the night before... In the first, I was trotting after Greig, while he was running towards my (captain's) room... Perhaps to take his things out of it... In the second, there was a small theatre, where the actors on stage asked the audience to mime their own characters. While the others were uninhibited, I wondered what mime to perform... Finally, I decided to be a shell with me peeping out. So, not one but two dreams... The Test was drawn, but England won 3-0.

Extra pressure in an Ashes contest...

The Ashes did add to the pressure because of the long history and the importance given to it by the cricketing public in both countries... What happens to the players, particularly the captains, is that the public projects its hopes and disappointments on them, so they don't just have to deal with their own anxieties but those of others as well. That is fine if things go well, very hard work when otherwise.

Advice he gave to Sir Ian Botham on replacing him as the England captain midway in the 1981 Ashes...

Botham had captained in 12 Tests in 1980 and in 1981, nine against the West Indies and three versus Australia (no wins against either)... I said he should try captaining against someone else.

[Sir Ian never captained England again.]

India-Pakistan cricket rivalry...

It rivals the Ashes rivalry, rooted as it is in the political hostility since Partition. But underneath is also tremendous affection, as has been seen on occasions when borders have opened up to cricketers and followers of the game.

Eoin Morgan not being able to better his record as England captain in a World final...

But the World T20 final at Eden Gardens would have thrilled Calcuttans, coming as it did days after the flyover catastrophe.

[Brearley, incidentally, was England's top-scorer with 64 in the 1979 World Cup final, but the hosts' 194 fell well short of the West Indies' 286 for nine.]

Ben Stokes being clouted for four sixes in a row by Carlos Brathwaite...

He'll have to live down a lifetime of explaining it.

Whether West Indies cricket would be able to capitalise on three World titles in less than two months in 2016, beginning with the U-19 World Cup...

Let's hope the players and administrators make something of the World T20 win... Get a grip on things.

Captain Darren Sammy's fusilade at the West Indies Cricket Board...

I am not privy to the ins and outs of the dispute between the players and the administrators, but Sammy was admirable and spoke frankly and persuasively... He showed how teams can take advantage of feeling badly treated by their Board... By Mark Nicholas... Subsequently, however, he was admirably open in his apology.

West Indies' USP in the World T20...

Their spirit and optimism. It reflects well on Sammy and his team and on coach Phil Simmons... I'd like to think he was inspired by the Lecture, which he'd attended! What a performance in the final.

Steve Waugh, who'd even called for lie-detector tests, also pitching hard (like him) for cricket's integrity not taking a beating...

I respect Waugh's viewpoint and the thoughts he shared in the interview with you (on March 27). I respect his commitment to doing whatever can be done to fight corruption.

Stars having a greater responsibility in staying away from all things undesirable...

They probably do have a greater responsibility. Stars certainly have a higher price to pay in ignominy - if caught at it... Look, every player must utterly abhor any form of match-fixing or spot-fixing.

James Taylor's England career ending prematurely, at 26, owing to a heart condition...

It shocked me. It has been sad, but at least the condition got detected early. I see no harm in subjecting players to more tests (more regularly).

Greater degree of stress...

Cricketers have always had to cope with stress.

Finally... If greater scrutiny, especially from the Media, has made life tougher for today's cricketers...

There may be greater scrutiny, but there's also greater control over who the Media talk to (among cricketers) and when. Exposure is regulated.