PICTURE SPEAK

“I AM NOT IN THE RACE FOR CAPTAIN” "I wasn't sad when I got dropped. I was disappointed because I knew I was good enough to play. I knew I had the ability." "It happens in life. You fight and then you become good friends. It (feud with Chappell) is an old story. We should move on."

Q. You started playing in 1992. In cricket, there are three important
things: coach, team and aaptain. According to you, which one is more important?
A. It's a team game ultimately. And I always believe that the team performs well when all 14 players do well. Outside the ground, the coach and captain make strategies. So all have different roles. Like in a training session, the coach's role is important but on the field, it's a captain's job. He has to take important decisions when the game is on. Sometimes, a captain has to change strategies depending on the opponents. The captain also consults senior players in the break about the next strategy. So on the field, the captain is the boss.

Q. Do you think the captain's role is changing these days?
A. Everything has become so big now, so has cricket. You can see how the media has changed. It's become 10 times more. There is so much pressure on a captain. In India, there is more pressure on the captain to win matches than others. The captain is scrutinized wherever he goes. He faces difficulties. And I firmly believe, to be a captain, you have to be a thick-skinned. Others can go away by giving excuses but the captain has to give answers because he is on the field.

Q. So the captain has a problem because in the team there are heros and zeroes.
A. That's right. All can't perform in one game. The captain has to make some balance.

Q. Don't you think there are too many heroes in the Indian team and they don't listen to the captain?
A. These are all rumours. Every hero is made by the people or by his performance. Every player knows where he stands, what is expected from him. These things are inbuilt in cricketers.

Q. What is the most important feature for a captain?
A. There are so many. To play good and to make everyone play. In the team, everyone has a problem. Some suffer from bad form. And the most important is to win because if you win, you are good and if you don't, you are bad.

Q. You were a dictator in your time.
A. I don't believe this. I had a good relationship with the boys. But yes, I was tough. I used to back them but needed performance also. And the team does well when all play well.

Q. Tiger Pataudi said nobody wants to field at first slip position. So is that a problem? You don't get specialist fielders.
A. No. Today, everyone is a specialist fielder in different positions.
Like for the last four-five years, Dravid and Laxman field in the slips. I did in South Africa. In the new bunch, Sehwag has done it.
You need specialist catchers in Test cricket. And in ODIs, you need specialists in positions like cover and point.

Q. So the captain has to think about the bowler's strategy, batsman's techniques and fielder's positions.
A. A captain has to balance the team when they make selections seeing the team's strength. When I was the captain, I used to believe in our batting. That's why I had played with seven specialist batsman. Then, we did not have allrounders. We didn't have Kapil Dev. I had given Rahul the wicketkeeper's job so that we can play an extra batsman.

Q.What is the difference between Sourav of 1992 and now when you made a comeback?
A. We grew up seeing players like Kapil, Vengsarkar, Azhar. I didn't play much in the 1992 Australian tour. I played only one match. I played consistently from 1996. I was not sad when I got dropped. I was disappointed because I knew I was good enough to play. I played domestic cricket for the last eight-nine months. I knew I had the ability that if I play well, I will get selected. One thing is good that my life doesn't depend on cricket. I was recalled because the team was not performing.

Q. Don't you think when you were dropped; your performance was not good?
A. When you play for 10-11 years, these phases come in every cricketer's life. Sometimes, you go away with your bad performance and sometimes get dropped. But in that series (Zimbabwe), I hit a hundred also. Then I was dropped. These are old stories and what happened, has happened.

Q. How did you make the comeback?
A. I made runs in domestic cricket: Dulip Trophy, Ranji Trophy. And then the Indian team did not play well. We lost many matches in ODIs.
So when you make runs in domestic cricket and there is a place vacant in the Indian team, you get a chance.

Q. And that's why you hit so hard in South Africa!
A. I have made runs in South Africa earlier also. The conditions were known to me. I was four tours to South Africa.

Q. So you made a comeback because the team was not performing and Sourav made runs in domestic cricket.
A. It is not only for me. Every player will get chance when they perform in domestic cricket.

Q. What is the guarantee that you will keep on playing for Team India?
A. Look. I get selected for ODIs because my performance in South Africa was good. So if I play well, I will be there in the team. My relationship with everyone is good at this time.

Q. We heard that when you went to South Africa, nobody came to receive you at the airport.
A. No, this is all wrong. I played with these guys for so long. So it was very good.

Q. What is the role of the coach?
A. The coach's role has become very important now. When I went to Australia in 1992, the coach kept changing on every tour. The situation has changed now. But I believe that captain's role is very important in cricket.

Q. According to you, who should have veto power- captain or coach?
A. I think the captain is the most important person. He has to perform on the field. You can make plans and strategies but ultimately it's the captain who takes decisions on the field. The captain has the final 'say'. The captain is as good as his team.

Q2. You and Chappell have become friends now?
A. Yes. It happens in life. You fight and then become friends. I don't want to talk about old stories. I think for every team's success, there should be a good relationship between the coach and captain.

Q. What is your target now?
A. This World Cup is very important for all of us. We have played well in the last two.

Q. Do you think Chappell's formula of experimentation is a success?
A. You have to give a free hand to the coach. Decisions are taken by selectors, coaches and captains. So many changes can't happen with only one's decision.

Q. Dropping you was part of his experimentation strategy?
A. I don't know.

Q. If you were a captain, you would have done things in the same way.
Experimentation or stability?
A. Look, every captain has his own way. When you make someone the captain, you have to stick by what he thinks is important. I believe every captain wants to win. And he does it with different procedures.
Everything should be result-oriented. If you get results by changing batsmen orders, then it is good. There should be no fixed procedures.
Ultimately, it's the results. You have to analyse your strategies after each series.

Q. You made 16 centuries with Tendulkar as an opener. Why the change in order?
A. It was important at that time. Tendulkar played at No. 4 position.
Sehwag was very successful when he started in New Zealand. He hits fours very well in the first 15 overs when the field is up. It all depends on the balance of the team. If the team thinks that to open with Sourav and Sachin will be good for the team, then it should be like that. And if they think that team situation is very fragile, then you can play Sachin or Sourav down the order.

Q. Will you prefer opening with Sachin now?
A. I did it for 250 matches. If the team asks me, I am ready for it.
And I think that's my strength also. I have a good chemistry with Sachin. I took 100 wickets also. So I can bowl five-six overs in ODIs for the team.

Q. What was the reason of Team India's bad performance last year?
A. Yes, our team did not play well for two-three months. Players' form was low, confidence was not up to the mark. It happens. It's a process; when you play bad for two matches you think you are out of form. And then everyone starts asking why you are not winning. The pressure builds up.

Q. Do you think endorsements and other actvities come in the way?
A. No it's not like that because even sponsors know that if Saurav or Sachin is not playing well, people will say 'why select these guys for an ad'. Yes, we don't play much domestic matches because of the number of international matches. If you want your player to play domestic cricket, you will have to reduce the number of international matches. Players need rest. Even the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Ricky Ponting, who get paid much more in county matches, do not play domestic cricket much because of international matches. When you do not perform in matches, then I think you should go to domestic cricket and make runs. We don't give much time for ads. It takes only one day for an ad. We practice for three hours each day.

Q. Now the BCCI announced its new policy that non-performers will have to play domestic cricket. Do you think this is right?
A. It was always there. It is good for everyone.

Q. You play cricket because you get so much money.
A. There is money. Other countries' players get more than us. Michael Vaughan gets much more than us. Look at Shane Warne, how many endorsements he does? Flintoff got 1 lakh pounds in one night.

Q. How much cricket is left in you?
A. At lease two years.

Q. So you want to retire after two years as a good record holder or a good captain?
A. I was a good captain. I don't know the future but I want that after two years, there should be a team which will take Indian cricket ahead.

Q. Sourav is not in the race for captaicy?
A. No. I am not.

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