The Rediff interview/ Balwinder Singh Sandhu

'I behave like a 19-year-old with the boys'

Ashish Magotra

It’s been a long time since Balwinder Singh Sandhu got his hands on a World Cup -- 18 years, if you want to be precise, since the day his banana inswinger had West Indies opener Gordon Greenidge bowled, to start a batting slide that saw the two-time champions collapse and hand India the cricket World Cup.

Come February 9, 2002, Sandhu will be hoping for an encore -- this time, as coach of the Indian Under 19 squad for the Junior World Cup, scheduled to be held in New Zealand

Sandhu is bullish about the chances -- the batting, he says, is good, but it is the bowling that holds the key, since it has a lot of variety. “Of prime importance is how well the lads adapt to different conditions, which is why we are leaving for Australia 10 days early.”

The Junior World Cup, Sandhu points out, is a different kettle of fish from the senior version. "When preparing for the seniors, you can check out videos of the opposing teams, you can watch how they play, you can plan for them, spot their weaknesses and strengths. But in the Junior World Cup, there is no real information available on the opposing sides. We have some idea of the Australians and the South Africans, but otherwise, we have no information on the other teams," Sandhu says.

Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Sandhu's predecessor as coach of the U-19 outfit, is equally confident that the side will do well. “Our junior teams have always done well in competitions abroad, and this particular group is made of some very talented youngsters. It is good," the former India opener, adds, "that they are getting a chance to play in different conditions this early in their careers."

An added bonus for the squad is the presence of former India star Dilip Vengsarkar, who has been appointed chairman of the recently formed Talent Resources Development Officers' Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Vengsarkar will assist the team in planning and strategizing, thus functioning as an extra coach.

Vengsarkar -- who spent some time watching the squad play practise matches in Bangalore -- says the squad seems to be in good form, but adds a word of caution. “In New Zealand the ball moves more off the seam than in does here," he points out. "But I think they are good players, they have what it takes to come out on top."

The key deficiency is fitness -- the U-19 squad is not as fit as it should be, and that in turn impacts on the fielding standards. Sandhu points out that there is nothing to be done about it, given that the time available for preparation is so short.

"Anyway, in the final analysis you have to make do with what is available, there is no point making excuses," the coach says. "At the U-19 level, the boys are raw and inexperienced, everything is a learning process. Expectations are high, since India is the defending champion. Also, we recently won the Junior Hockey World Cup, so everyone expects the cricket team to match that achievement."

Though it is early days yet, Sandhu says that preparations have started in earnest. “We already have thoughts in mind about the role each player will play, now it all depends on their going out there and doing it."

Aware that young lads need to be handled differently from their seniors, Sandhu goes out of his way to ensure that the boys have a good time together. "I behave like a 19-year-old with the boys. I may be a hard task-master, but I try to have fun with them too, ” the coach points out.

Preparations get into high gear once the team lands in Australia, where they will play three practise games before flying across to New Zealand for two more warm-up games, in Auckland.

"We are going there as defending champions and that puts a whole new kind of pressure on a team, but we hope to do well, to win the Cup," says Sandhu.

Photograph: Jewella C Miranda

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