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DEAR REDIFF

"I have no plans to retire!"

M S Shankar

Sir Garfield Sobers, no less, rates him the best one-day skipper in the business today.

And Sobers' evaluation carries weight - not merely because it comes from an authentic cricketing legend who, in his latest avtaar of TV commentator, is very much clued in to the international cricketing situation today, but also as one who is increasingly involved with Sri Lankan cricket.

In fact, Sobers had spent considerable amounts of time with the Lankan cricket team before the 1996 Wills World Cup, giving them tips and ideas and helping them formulate the strategies the side used so successfully in their Cup campaign.

And he has, on several occasions, spoken about the way Ranatunga picked up on his ideas and carried them forward, improving on them and fitting them into the overall gameplan decided upon by himself in concert with then coach Dav Whatmore.

What strikes you most about Ranatunga's captaincy is his attitude of dead calm, irrespective of the state of the game. There is never any sign of panic, or flurry or frustration when the game seems to be slipping out of his hands. More to the point, there is no indication that he ever feels the pressure of leading the world champion side, and carries on his shoulders the expectations of a nation tasting international success for the first time. Just calm, cool calculation - and a penchant for doing the right thing at the absolutely crucial moment.

Beneath that smiling exterior, though, is the mind of an assassin. Patience is his hallmark - the patience to lurk in the wings, waiting for the psychological moment, watching alertly for the first sign that his opponent's guard is slipping. And with that patience, a ruthlessness at odds with his babyfaced image - the ruthlessness that helps him slip the knife in and twist it, hard, just when the opponents least expect it.

As a player, he is an unsolved enigma. At the crease, he seems content to just push and poke the ball around - and yet, when he departs, it is with a sizeable score and, more importantly, a very healthy strike rate, against his name.

Again, he seems portly and lethargic, the most often seen sight being of him waddling slowly between wickets after pushing the ball into the outfield - and yet, when it comes to the push, there are few better judges of the short single, or faster movers between wickets, in the contemporary game.

The signs, thus, are all there. Of a cricketer whose surface lethargy is a deceptive front to mask a top flight cricketer, and a shrewd thinker of the game. The essential Ranatunga comes to the fore when he settles down and lets himself be interviewed... as he did in Hyderabad after leading his team to a win over New Zealand and thus, entering the final of the Independence Cup. Extracts:

Your team seems extremely focussed, extremely motivated, these days. Against New Zealand you only got a small total, yet the boys defended it superbly. So what is your secret?
The real secret, I think, is the boost we got when we won the World Cup. Speaking of which, I should not forget to thank Sir Garfield Sobers. It was his advice, before we began our campaign, that really helped wield us into a match-winning outfit.
Then again, ours is a very well balanced side. We have a wealth of genuine allrounders - batting all-rounders like Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasurya, and bowling all-rounders like Chaminda Vaas and Kumara Darmasena. What this means is that we have players who are contributing, all the time, with both bat and ball and supplementing the efforts of the specialists in these departments. And if you look at the really good one day sides, that is the real secret, to have players contributing with both bat and ball.
Besides these we have the right mix of experience and young talent. Sajeeva de Silva for instance is blossoming into a very good fast bowler who can swing the ball both ways. Interestingly, both Vaas and De Silva are products of India's MRF Pace Foundation, and they are doing a wonderful job for us. The batting also goes right down to the number nine slot. And Muthaiah Muralidharan is a very key component of the side as well - a real match winner.
So we are a team aware of our capabilities, and confident of being able at all times and under all conditions to produce good cricket. And this helps us shrug off the pressure, and stay focussed.

So are we saying that the Sri Lankan side is unbeatable today?
How can I ever make such a claim? It is not realistic for me, or for any team or captain in international cricket today, to make such a statement. Sure, like I said, we are a well balanced outfit. But that does not mean we are unbeatable. For instance, after winning the World Cup, we did have our share of losses. Even here, in the Pepsi Independence Cup, we lost badly to Pakistan.
In cricket, there is no such thing as an unbeatable side - it is all about doing well on the day. Earlier, some teams had such reputations that other sides who played them psyched themselves into a losing frame of mind. Today, the mental strength of cricketers is much higher - the team at the bottom of the ladder goes up against the team at the top thinking it has a chance. So ultimately, it all comes down to which side is better focussed on the day.

So what is your reading now, is the side focussed enough to go for a win here, in the Independence Cup final?
Well, the boys are certainly in very good form. We played badly against Pakistan, and deserved to lose that match - but we managed to quickly change our strategy, and come back with a fine win over India. And yes, right now, I am pretty sure that our boys will do well in the three-match finals and take laurels back home.

Is it true that much of Sri Lanka batting depends heavily on the shoulders of Sanath Jayasurya and Aravinda de Silva?

No, it is not true. Every team has its stars, who tend to steal the spotlight. But stars alone don't win a match for you - they shine only because they have the backing of the rest, the support they need to shrug off the pressure and play their natural game. For instance, if Jayasuriya wasn't sur that the rest of the Lankan batting lineup was so strong, he would never be able to bat with the freedom he does, or indulge in such uninhibited strokeplay. True, Sanath and Aravinda are our biggest matchwinners - but don't discount the likes of Roshan Mahanama, Hashan Tillekeratne, Marvan Attapattu or even the contributions of Darmasena, Kaluwitharana and even Vaas.

Newsreports suggest that you and team manager Duleep Mendis, have some differences?

(Laughing) Don't you know better than to believe everything you read in the media? Seriously, let me tell you that those who are writing that nonsense don't have their facts right, they should realise that Duleep and I are, and have been the best of chums. We have played together, now we work together he as manager and I as captain for the good of Lankan cricket. Sure, differences will crop up - but we are good enough friends and thorough professionals, we know how to sort them out as they arise. And who said that friends can't differ?

While you present the picture of a unified side, isn't it true that there are controversies rocking Lankan cricket? For instance, there is the unceremonious exit of Asanka Gurusinghe, who was a key member of your World Cup squad and one of the seniormost players. And the sacking of Dav Whatmore, who coached the side to the World Cup win...
Don't you think these questions should be addressed to the Sri Lankan board? I am the captain of the team - but I have no voice in the hiring or firing of coaches, nor do I single-handedly decide which players should play for the country. I lead the side I am given, that is my job. The rest of it is not something that I can comment on. Having said that, I must point out also that controversies exist in every country - is England exempt? India? Pakistan? Australia? The West Indies? Wherever cricket is played, fans and the media will make much of players who are picked, or those who are dropped, arguing for and against each case. The point to note is that if there is controversies in Sri Lanka as well, as you seem to think, then it certainly hasn't had any effect on our performance.

There are rumours that your exit from the captaincy is imminent? That you are planning to relinquish your responsibilities?
Yes, I have read of "my" plans, too - in the media! (laughing). Don't you think I am the person who should be talking about what I plan to do, and what I don't? After all, I plan my own career, the media does not do that for me.
Anyway, the fact is that I have no plans, as of now, to retire from international cricket. As far as the captaincy is concerned, I do not decide whether I will lead the side - the board, and the selectors, do that. Having said that, I am not aware that either the board or the selectors are thinking of asking me to step down from the captaincy - when that happens, is time enough to think of it. As long as I am personally confident that I can do the job I have been asked to, I shall continue to do so. Personally, I have no problems with the boys, they give me 150 per cent all the time, what more can I expect or want?

Do you expect to be around till the next World Cup?
Which of us can be sure he will be alive tomorrow morning? It is, I think, rather silly to be thinking so far into the future. For now, my focus is on the immediate cricket calendar - we are playing 12 Tests, six of them against India alone. Compare this with the 64-odd Tests we have played over the last 16 years, and you will see the difference. Then there is the triangular one-day tournament, the first ever of the kind to be hosted by England, which is the ideal warmup for the 1999 World Cup in England where we will be defending champions. Let's see what happens, shall we?