What do you think went wrong with Yuvraj Singh?
Yuvraj, on the last tour to Australia, scored runs in ODIs. So it is not that he cannot play well in Australia. I don’t think that there anything wrong with his technique. His not scoring runs just coincided with the fact that it happened in Australia, nothing more than that.
Your opinion of Harbhajan Singh…
He is a tremendous character and soaked in a lot of pressure. He was able to rise to the occasion and has done really well. Plenty of things were said about him which he hadn’t done actually. But it was all credit to him and the team. Everyone stood behind him and that actually helped him. He managed to sustain the pressure and perform.
Is he the face of the modern Indian cricketer — those eager to give back as good as they get?
Each individual is different and reacts differently to different situations. You’ve got to respect that individualism. I don’t think being aggressive is always being vocal. Sometimes you do it with your eyes and convey to your opposition that you are going to be competitive.
But is the current team more competitive than a lot of the teams in which you have played earlier?
Yes, this team is definitely competitive and it is out there to challenge the opposition and we have been able to do that on a number of occasions on this tour. I would say that this is one of the better sides I have played in.
Do you follow all the ratings and rankings?
No, I know that my contribution is significant and I am happy with that. If my teammates think that it is significant too, that is good enough.
Do you think Indian cricket is going in the right direction?
We have found a good crop of players, but it is important not to put too much pressure on them. We have the tendency to overreact to 2-3 failures, and that does not help an individual or the team. We should encourage them to prepare better so that they perform better.
To win a Test match you need 20 wickets. Do you think that has been the biggest gain over the past year — getting bowlers who can claim these wickets?
Yes, our bowlers have been able to get 20 wickets, and importantly early breakthroughs, in recent Test matches abroad. Earlier too we would get early breakthroughs, but couldn’t finish off the innings.
How impressed have you been with the new breed, particularly Ishant and Rohit Sharma?
They look good. We should not put too much pressure on them. They should be given freedom to play their game and if they fail on a few occasions we should not be critical of them. They need a lot of encouragement and guidance.
Are you currently your son’s idol or is there someone else?
For him I have been the number one batsman in the world and when I asked him about it, he said that he is the number two batsman!
Is he seriously into cricket?
He’s enjoying playing cricket but I have given him freedom to pick and choose whatever he wants to. At his age, I loved cricket. Nobody forced me. If he decides to play cricket, tennis, hockey or whatever, if he loves that sport it will continue to grow on him. That is the beauty of sport: it’s a love affair that never ends.
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