Gavaskar expresses regret over controversial remarks on Warne, says 'it wasn't the right time'

Sunil Gavaskar on Monday said he regrets the comments made by him last week after legendary spinner Shane Warne passed away. Warne had passed away on Friday aged 52 due to a suspected heart attack. During an interview with a TV channel, Gavaskar had condoled the demise of Warne, but he went on to say that he does not consider the Australian as the best spinner to play the game.

Read AlsoPonting says every time he thinks about Warne, he becomes emotional

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting "loves" Shane Warne so much that he tends to switch off his television set on hearing the late spin king's voice in it in the past couple of days as he still can't believe that his one-time teammate is no more. In an emotional tribute to Warne with whom he

Since then, the Indian batting great has been criticized for talking about Warne's greatness when the Australian had just passed away. "Last week was a very traumatic time for the cricket fraternity as in 24 hours, we lost two icons of the game -- Rodney Marsh and Shane Warne. On TV, I was asked by an anchor whether Warne was the greatest spinner and I gave my honest opinion," said Gavaskar in a video posted on his Instagram account.

"In hindsight, that question should not have been asked and I should not have answered as it was not the right time for any comparison or evaluation. Warne was one of the greatest players to ever grace the game. Rodney Marsh was also one of the best wicket-keepers. May their souls rest in peace," he added.

Warne was one of the most influential cricketers in history. He almost single-handedly reinvented the art of leg-spin when he burst onto the international scene in the early 1990s, and by the time he retired from international cricket in 2007, he