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An
interview with Mohammed Azharuddin |
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Mohammed Azharuddin --------- |
Azhar still remains a strongcontender
I have a lot of enthusiasm for
the game and am very fit, says former skipper
Bangalore: Clad in a fresh bath robe in
his room at hotel Le Meridien, former Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin was giving a few
welcome tips to Mumbai opener Wasim Jaffer.
“Bend your knees a bit in your batting stance and run faster between the
wickets. These are two important things in your batting. You should also field better and
should never allow the ball to slip through your hands at this age. You should start
making big scores and make the selectors notice you,” the battle-scarred veteran said
in chaste hindi to Jaffer, who was swallowing every word from the stylish batsmen. Azhar,
who was getting ready to leave for Mumbai spoke to Online Bangalore about his
continued interests in the game. Experts of the interview:
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What motivates to enjoy the game in domestic cricket?
I am still fit enough, I have got a lot of enthusiasm left. The willingness to
perform and succeed is still just keeps you going.
What do you think are the important highlights and lowlights of your long career?
There have been lots of ups and downs. If I go into details, it will become a very
long answer. I have really enjoyed playing from the 1985 World championship, winning which
was a big high in my career. Winning the hero cup and a lot of other games were some
cherished moments. My biggest disappointment was not winning the World Cup. May be, it was
not meant to be, we tried our best. Otherwise, all the matches that we won under Mr
Wadekar and some brilliant batting that we have witnessed from different players have been
really enjoyable. |
Mohammed Azharuddin
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What is the secret to your physical fitness?
I have made a lot of sacrifices, especially on my diet. To be fit, one has to look
after oneself especially when playing at this level. One cannot afford to be unfit or
overweight even by two kilos, that really effects a lot. The game has become so big with
so much commercialisation and TV coverage. The moment one slips, it is shown on the TV.
One cannot hide any thing. At the professional level everybody is fit.
Do you follow any particular fitness regimen?
It is mostly related to diet. I do a little bit of running and a little bit of
weight for my legs and abdominal exercises. Not very heavy weights.
At what point in you career did you realise fitness was an essential part of the
game?
Right from the beginning, even when I was in college, I used to do a lot of
physical training. In between I had a groin injury and was on cortisone injections. I
started putting on weight. I realised that it is not going to help me, if I have to play
longer. I had become a little bit slow on the field and was finding it difficult to bend
because I had put on about 10 to 12 kilos. When I came back from New Zealand, I decided to
control my diet. I used to eat a lot of sweets and meat. I stopped all that. Basically, I
do some exercises.
Have you set any specific goals?
I am playing for another few years. I have no goals and as long as I am performing
and enjoying the game, there are no problems. I really don’t set goals, I take things
as they come.
Why doesn’t Indian talent gel as a team?
That’s a wrong notion. People should stop talking about that. What is the
meaning of gelling as a team? Everybody plays well. We have performed very well over a
period of time. When we don’t perform well, people say that the team is not gelling
and does not have team spirit. That is all loose talk.
In terms of victories like in the 1983 World Cup or the 1985 World Championship at
Australia, contributions from all players made a big difference. But, we seem to lack that
now?
Even now the players are contributing. But, the contributions have not been
handsome enough. Everybody tries to put in his effort. We go there and play to win, nobody
goes out with an attitude to lose. We try our best and try to win as many games as we can.
If you look at it, we are playing so many matches. It is humanly impossible to win every
game. Sometimes things work, sometimes they don’t work for you.
What do you think about changes that the game has undergone over the years?
A lot of rules have been changed. A lot of money has come in to the game. There is
a lot of commercialisation and I think it is good for the game. The players slog it out
and they deserve everything. They make so much sacrifices like living away from their
families and playing all the time. Serving the country is a big honour.
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