What do you think is really
going wrong?
Once, we start winning, things will change. This losing has carried on a little bit too
far and everything looks disorganised. Winning is the formula. It is too soon for Kapil to
do anything. Now he can sit down and work on what is lacking. Given time, I am sure he
will find something that is good for the side. We are getting only 220s, which is not
enough. Today, in one-day games, we talk about 260s and 270s as safe scores. Our batsmen
are not getting enough runs.
How do we improve India’s
peformance outside the country?
Of course, the wickets have to change. This talk has been going on for years, nothing
has happened. People have given suggestions. A lot has happened in the last two years,
still there is no change at all. Our training methods have got to change. Our pitches have
got to change. We need to put a little more thought into that.
Do these changes have to be implemented in the domestic circuit?
Yes, the changes have to occur from the Ranji Trophy stage. The concept of the super
league has not helped at all. Some teams which were not worth their salt were playing in
the super league. The old system was much better and would help to bring better
cricketers.
In the light of Sachin’s young international debut, can some of the youngsters
from the under-19 team blooded into the senior squad?
Sachin is an extra ordinary cricketer. It is very difficult to get a player who would
be ready for international exposure at such a young age as Sachin. But, we can have a few
youngsters from the present under-19 in the Indian squad. Reetinder Singh Sodhi, a
brilliant allrounder and deceptive bowler, and Mohammed Kaif, a very sound batsmen against
fast bowlers, can make an impact in the senior team. In eight to 10 months Salabh
Srivatasav can also be considered and he is very decent left arm fast bowler. He is not
quick, but he has got a lot of movement. But there is not much in the spinning department
in the present under-19 team. The wicketkeeper was also very impressive. He kept very well
and was a sensible batsman. He was an excellent team man.
Did you find anything lacking in the under-19 team when you took over?
They were not positive at all. They were too defensive. The bowlers especially were
bowling too short of a length. They were not trying to get wickets and were only trying to
contain the batsman. I changed that and told them that they had to go for the wickets.
Later on when the batsmen are going for the slog, the bowlers can go on the defensive. A
side can be opened by taking early wickets.
What was the secret of success at Sri Lanka?
It was an unchanged team from game one. We played the same 11 in all the matches. We
had the options of two extra bowlers. We had Venugopal, who didn’t bowl in two games.
He was an allrounder, who bowled in three other games. We had Yuvaraj Singh, Reetender
Sodhi, Mohammed Kaif and Dheeraj Patel, who could bat and bowl. We had a keeper who could
bat. The allround aspect of the side helped me get the team into the one-day mould. They
had all just finished their three-day and four-day cricket in the Ranji Trophy.
What about the bench strength?
The first three game were rain affected. I wanted to give everybody a chance in the
league stage before we got into the super eights. We had rain in the first game, the
second game was washed out completely and the third game was also rain affected and
reduced to 40 overs. So, I didn’t get an opportunity to give the reserves a chance.
In the reserves, we had Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan, left arm spinner and batsmen, but Yuvaraj
was our main left arm spinner and a batsman. Arjun Devaiah was the reserve off spinner
with Venugopal being the first choice and then we had Mir Diwakar, a fast bowler, but the
team already had three fast bowlers. There was no reason for changing the players unless
there was an injury. It helped in the end that the same 11 played all the matches because
they gelled as a unit.
Did you have enough time to coach the boys?
I had exactly two days with the 14 at Madras and a week at Colombo. During that week,
we concentrated a lot on our fielding and basically I was trying to make them understand
the concept of One-day cricket. I was trying to make them understand the strengths of
One-day cricket like fielding, batting and bowling.
What would be the ideal preparation time?
We need at least two weeks before we go on a tour. We need to practice together and get to
know the boys. Even at this age, I found that some of them had problems in catching. Some
of them had falls while catching. Some of the players couldn’t pick up the balls
behind them. Some of them had to be taught this even at 19 and that shows that not all of
them are being coached properly along the way. These sort of things could have been sorted
out if I had two weeks with them.
How did you like your stint as under-19 coach?
I really enjoyed this stint of mine. Working with the under-19 was a fantastic experience,
especially to see them perform. They grasped things so quickly. If I can work with these
guys for another two years and take them out on more tours, I am sure they will do well in
the future. They need to be exposed a little more by playing in different conditions such
as Australia, England and South Africa.
Which was your tough match at Sri Lanka?
New Zealand was a tight match. They gave us the best fight in the league game. The
wicket had a little bounce. Ultimately our spinners won the match as the New Zealanders
had no clue to play spin. Australia and New Zealand had no clue where the ball was going
when the spinners came on. Even the Australians played poorly against us. That was quite
disappointing. I expected the Australia to be a good side, seeing their national team.
But, they were not all that brilliant.
What do you perceive for the India "A" and under-19 teams?
The board should have age restrictions on the India "A" team because there
were players around 30 or 31 years old. That’s not the right age to be playing Test
cricket. At least 50 per cent of the India "A" team should be from the under-19.
The rest should be not more than 22 or 23. It is tough to train people at the age of 30.
It is a bit far going and player lacks motivation. Under-19 is very important for the
India "A" sides.
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