Chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar gives his thoughts on the year ahead
DURBAN: In 2006, there was a change of guard in one of the top jobs in Indian cricket.
Kiran More finished his tenure as the chairman of the national selection committee giving way to former India captain, Dilip Vengsarkar. And the man who’d mastered Lord’s with three centuries seems to have entered his new role with equal gusto.
After his first selection meeting, he had made a statement that, in many ways, has set the tone for his time in the hot seat. He had said that there was “no exceptional talent” in India. Many took exception to this statement but, a few months on, Vengsarkar isn’t budging from his stand. “We always think that because there are so many people who play domestic cricket in India, we have a lot of talent,” he told DNA in Durban. “That isn’t true.”
His job in 2007, however, is to leverage on what they do have at their disposal and bring home the trophies.
The year hasn’t ended the way he would have hoped. Instead of going to Cape Town with a series win, or at least knowing that it can’t be lost, India have a battle on hands in the first week of the New Year.
A gritty start to 2007, however, will only harden the warriors for a long, arduous 12 months, where they have a World Cup and two tough tours ( England and Australia) to contend with. But, says Vengsarkar, should they return from these with success, Indian cricket will have turned a corner.
Excerpts from an interview where the chairman of selectors gives his thoughts on the year ahead:
What are the big challenges in 2007?
First thing is the World cup, it’s going to be a huge event. The (one-day) team is shaping up really well, although they had a bad time in South Africa here. But I’m sure the eight one-dayers (against West Indies and Sri Lanka at home) will make a big difference. I think the West Indies and Indian conditions are similar. I am sure that we will do much better there than we did in South Africa.
World Cup is a pressure cooker time for the team. What mindset should they approach it with?
The most important thing is to win the World Cup. Actually, win each and every game. That has to be the mindset. Each tour is different. Test cricket is different; one-day cricket is different. How you adapt to different games will be important. Winning is a habit. We have to form the habit
2006 was a time for tough decisions. 2007 won’t be any different...
When you take decisions, you have to be very honest. If you feel a certain thing has to be done, you have to do it. Sure, if XYZ thing goes wrong, there are repercussions, and there will be a backlash. So you have to absolutely sure about the whole thing. But if you are convinced, you have to go ahead and do it.
The Indian selection process has come up for constant criticism. Can we expect any changes?
Luckily, in this selection committee, there is the same wavelength among selectors and that makes your job easier. When selectors are pushing players from their zones, it becomes difficult. I, for one, believe that as selector, you must pick the best team for India. You should not bother about which state he comes from, which zone he belongs to.
What helps is that because of my role as TRDO, I know all the under-15 and under-17 players. I know all the players at the grass-root levels, who’re performing, how they are playing - I keep in touch with the coaches about who are the important players. Let me give you the example of Ishant Sharma. I have been in touch with Chetan Chauhan about how he is playing. And since Chetan has played with me, he will give me the correct feedback. See, those who played with me are now coaches. Their feedback is very important because it is not possible for me to be everywhere at all the time. Other selectors are there at other places but the inputs of the coaches also helps. There is always a chance that one good talent may get missed out. That is why you need good talent-spotters. Now, they have established a system where they have asked match referees to do the job of talent-spotters. I haven’t got any feedback yet about the u-15 and u-17 season but I hope I do.
The big concern you would want to address?
Wickets are our main worry. We must have bounce in our wickets and it’s not that we can’t produce them, but there is too much interference while making the wicket. The captain (of the concerned domestic side), for instance, may ask for the grass to be removed. The maali then feels obliged to the do what he’s asked to. All domestic matches should be at neutral venues, and they be made accountable for producing good wickets. Home advantage should be done away with.
How do you solve the opening problem?
Opening is a major concern for us because we aren’t getting good starts. But the options for us are limited. There aren’t many openers that can get into the side straight away. I think there is a need for good opening batsmen in India.
Is there a tough decision looming large for Virender Sehwag in 2007?
Sehwag is a fantastic player and he has a great record. But you can’t fail for a long, long time. I can understand if you are going through a bad patch or a good ball gets you out. But if you are playing badly, then it’s time to get into form. And the only way to come back is by scoring runs in the middle. At any level where you have a good attack bowling at you
You’d said that there wasn’t enough talent in India. Your solution to remedy that?
Our system and infrastructure is very good. But I feel everybody should play Duleep Trophy and Challenger. Unless and until Test cricketers play, these tournaments will not test the talent of the youngsters and others who are playing. We always think that because there are so many players playing in India, there is so much talent. That’s not true. But if Test players are allowed to play 6 weeks of domestic cricket every year, it will vastly improve the standards.
Also, one-day cricket at a young age has curtailed growth. They form bad habits, playing all kinds of shots, not building innings. BCCI has made a great decision by cutting down on one-dayers till the age of 17.
Some to-dos for 2007?
This year we have the World Cup. We go to England , Australia and then, New Zealand. We are far better off side than England, Australia don’t have Warne and McGrath. We hope to perform really well. If we win, then we’ll turn a corner.
Also, we need to induct some players who can become the future of Indian cricket. In the next three years or more, Sachin, Rahul, Kumble, Zaheer, Sourav, they will all retire at one time or the other. They will leave a big void. That should not happen. The gap should be easily filled.
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