|
November 13, 1997
NEWS
MATCH REPORTS
STAT SHEET
DIARY
OTHER SPORTS
SLIDE SHOW
DEAR REDIFF
|
The Cricket Interview/Anshuman Gaikwad
"The Indian team lacks results, not talent..."
Anshuman Dattajirao Gaikwad, son of former India captain Dattajirao Krishnarao Gaikwad and descendant of the royal family of Baroda, has seamlessly made the transition from player to coach of the national side, via a stint with the Indian junior team.
The tall, bespectacled right hand batsman was, in his time, known for an ability to harness guts and determination and play beyond the bounds of his own natural abilities. When he started out, he had a penchant for playing strokes with abandon. However, the demands of Test cricket, especially of opening the Indian innings against the best fast bowlers of the world, gradually took the carefree spirit out of his batting and replaced it with a grim determination to hang in there regardless. A fine gully fielder and occasional off-break bowler, Gaikwad in person is the essential charmer, polished, refined, a gentleman to the core.
His career with the national team was enigmatic, to say the least. Debuting against the West Indies in the 1974-'75 season, he made a fighting 80 in the second Test and showed the promise of things to come -- only to flop badly on the twin tours of New Zealand and the West Indies in 1975-'76. And yet, having said that, Gaikwad played one of the most courageous innings ever by an Indian batsman when, on a killer pitch at Sabina Park, he took blow after body blow from Michael Holding at his most fearsome while making 81, before retiring from a blow on the head. This, mind you, when skipper Bishen Singh Bedi was forced to declare his innings twice, fearing crippling injury to his batsmen.
Having earned universal plaudits for courage under fire, Gaikwad then swung to the other extreme, performing badly against the English quicks in the 1978-'79 series. Back swung the pendulum, when against the touring Windies quicks he averaged 41.85, including the first of his two Test centuries, at Kanpur.
True to form, Gaikwad failed to live up to that form on the following tour of England, in 1979, and the tour of the West Indies that same year saw him well below his best. But just when people were beginning to wonder what he was doing in the side, came a sparking 201 out of an Indian total of 374 against Pakistan at Jullundar -- the first ever double hundred by an Indian batsman against Pakistan, incidentally.
Following his retirement, Gaikwad remained active in cricket administration circles, rising to the position of coach of the Under-19 squad, during which tenure he got the reputation of being a no-nonsense coach, willing and able to wield the whip if that was the only way to get results. It is this mix of softness and steel that, hopefully, will stand him in good stead when he takes on the responsibility of coaching the Indian senior side through a season that sees them tested by Sri Lanka and Australia, two of the toughest sides in world cricket today.
On the eve of the India-Sri Lanka one day game that is being organised as his benefit tie, Anshuman Gaikwad spoke to Haresh Pandya. Excerpts:
So how does it feel to be in the hottest seat in Indian cricket?
Frankly, I was expecting this offer. And I wouldn't
say no, especially after my performance with the India Under-19 team. I am quite happy with the appointment, to be honest.
It's a rather demanding position, wouldn't you say?
Yes, it is. A very stiff challenge. I know that lots is expected of me, I also know I have replaced a competent man like Madan Lal,
who is a very good friend of mine. What I have going for me is that I have confidence in my ability, and am sure I can deliver the goods. More so given that I am in charge of a very talented side.
What do you see as your immediate task?
To win matches for India. What India lacks is not ability, but results. And to get results, the players
have to begin believing in their abilities -- and that is where I come in. I've got to get them to believe that they are capable of beating any team in the world as long as they perform to their peak, and play as a unit.
What is your assessment of the Indian side?
It is a very talented team, and to my mind it will be a serious mistake for anyone to understimate this side. Earlier, it was going through a spate of losses and that destroys the collective confidence, but now it is coming off a string of victories, having taken 5 of the last eight ODIs against Pakistan. Now the only thing remaining is to get our act together and start winning Tests as well.
Javagal Srinath has come back to first class cricket after his injury. Do you see him playing a part against Sri Lanka?
Very definitely. I would love to have him back in the side for the series against Lanka, he could be our key bowler. Admittedly, I haven't
seen him bowl lately. But the good thing is he is bowling again, now we need to see how well he performs.
You are known as a disciplinarian -- is that likely to be your attitude with the senior side as well?
I believe that discipline is a must in a team sport like cricket, yes. And I demand, expect, discipline from every player. At the same time, we are not talking of a military-type thing here, players have to be allowed to relax, if they are to give of their best. I'll aim for a friendly relationship with all of them. If they go wrong, or if there
is something to be conveyed to them, then I will do that, too, any way it needs to be done. The point is the moment anyone goes offline, they must be corrected -- but at the same time, you can't be too strict with them either, after all they are adults. The trick is to strike the right balance, to bring their mistakes home to them in a practical, friendly fashion. In other words, we are talking of simple man management -- if you are good at that, you won't have any problems.
But how much rope would you give the boys to, as you put it, 'relax a bit'?
This is not something you can define by saying, someone can do this but not the other thing. It is a matter of how each of them behaves, conducts himself. And as long as their behaviour, what they do, doesn't affect the game or the team, I am happy.
In his time, Ajit Wadekar had introduced a code of conduct for the players. How about you?
If you mean in terms of a written down list of dos and don'ts, no, I am not into such things. I don't need a rule book, if any of the boys are wanting in discipline, I know how to handle it.
A big topic now is betting, bribery et al. What would be your reaction if one of the boys is found indulging in anything not quite on the up and up?
To be very frank, no one has every proved that cricketers are involved
in betting? It's just talk -- and talk doesn't concern me. However, if I find positive indications that someone is involved in anything nefarious, my job is to report it to the Board, it is for the BCCI to take action as needed. I am just a coach, my duty is to take care of the technical aspects of the game.
You have long argued that a coach should be appointed for a long term -- but your own appointment is for just one year. How does that feel?
I believe that to make a coach accountable, he should be given a minimum of two years, if not more. And I had put this view to the board. If you see, in other countries coaches are appointed for two or three years, with option to renew the contract. Anyway, that is academic now, let me see what I can do in the time they have given me.
Do you back the call for a specialist fitness trainer from abroad?
Fitness is a key aspect, which we must not ignore. I am sorry to say this, but the truth is our players are way below international standards in this regard. We have been playing so much one-day cricket, it is absolutely necessary that we have a 110 per cent fitness level. So yes, a professional trainer is always welcome. Whether he is an an Indian or a foreigner, is for the BCCI to decide.
This is a very young team you will be coaching. Does that pose any problems?
No, why should it? For instance, when I was first playing, I was very young, but my manager then, Tiger Pataudi, was very senior. Didn't cause any problems, we got on very well. It all depends on you, really. I am going to be frank, friendly, and forthright with everyone, I don't see how age becomes a factor here.
What is your policy vis a vis the media? Your predecessors either banned them completely, or barred players from meeting the media. How about you?
I would like to continue that policy. I don't think players should be talking to the media, many times they get misquoted, this disturbs them mentally, there are several other problems besides. There are certain presspersons, for instance, who talk to the players and then write a distorted account of that conversation. Such things can damage the player's peace of mind, and also the harmony of the team. So my players will not be talking to the media without my permission. As for me, I will always be available for any member of the media, at any time.
What sort of batting lineup would you envisage for the coming Test series?
I've not thought about it in detail as yet, but essentially, I would like to see that not too many changes are made in the lineup. I would prefer a settled team, we will make changes only as and when required.
What are the areas you plan on emphasising, as coach?
Fielding, obviously. Our fielding has got to improve, I want the boys to work very hard on this aspect. In fact, most times it is only the fielding that seperates our team from the rest.
We don't seem to have a settled pair of opening batsmen...
It's amazing, everybody has been asking me this particular question. We have good openers to choose from, it is only that they have been shunted around. They sometimes open the innings, then they get to bat in the middle order... the thing is, there are players who have been opening for their states, their zones, it is only a question of settling them down.
The runout incident involving Nayan Mongia and Mohammad Azharuddin continues to provoke controversy. Would you care to comment?
Well, the fact is that irrespective of whether Azhar was batting slowly or aggressively, he was a well set batsman. Even if there was no run, even if it was Azhar's mistake, Nayan should have gone out of his crease, sacrificed his wicket. Azhar was set, Nayan had just gone in, so that was the logical thing to do, instead of getting a well-set batsman out.
Would you continue with Sachin Tendulkar opening in the one dayers?
I am in two minds about that, let's see, there is time to think about all these things.
Do you believe that the captain and coach should vote in team selection?
No, not at all. Mainly because it creates bad blood within the side, affects the harmony of the side. Here, the players, once picked, back the captain and the coach to the hilt, because they know that being picked or dropped is not in the hands of either of us. But if that situation changes, then players will begin having grudges against their captain, their coach, all that is not very healthy.
So you just play with what team you are given? Irrespective of how bad the team picked is?
No, what I think is that the captain and the coach should talk frankly to the selectors, and try to develop a rapport with them. The captain and the coach should have a say in the team composition, definitely -- what I am saying is that they shouldn't be voting.
People
|
