‘No. 1 in One Day Internationals by 2009-end and in Test cricket by 2010 is the dream’

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Chairman of selectors Srikkanth on India?s rise and the changing balance of power in world cricket More... ‘No. 1 in One Day Internationals by 2009-end and in Test cricket by 2010 is the dream’ S. Dinakar Chairman of selectors Srikkanth on India’s rise and the changing balance of power in world cricket ‘IMMENSE POTENTIAL’: Srikkanth believes that among the top three Test sides, India has the best-balanced team in batting and bowling. CHENNAI: Chairman of the national selection committee Krishnamachari Srikkanth is confident that over the next two years the Indian cricket team will climb up to the No. 1 ranking in Tests and ODIs. India scored Test series triumphs over Australia (2-0) and England (1-0) during this home season. The host also defeated England 5-0 in the ODI series. Forty-nine-year-old Srikkanth, an aggressive opener and a former Indian captain, scored 2062 runs in 43 Tests and 4091 runs in 146 ODIS. He was top scorer, with 38, in the low-scoring 1983 World Cup final at Lord’s where India ambushed Clive Lloyd’s West Indians. In limited overs cricket, Srikkanth was one the pioneers of the charge down the track and the strikes over the inner ring in the early overs. He sizzled during the World Championship of Cricket down under in 1985. Srikkanth captained India capably on the tour of Pakistan in 1989-90 when, against the odds, the visiting side drew all four Tests. His communication skills came in for praise. Following his retirement in 1992 from international cricket, he coached the India under-19 and `A’ sides with a fair measure of success. An engaging and articulate man with a degree in electrical engineering, he founded the popular website Krish Cricket ( www.krishcricket.com) and was very much part of the media — as an expert writer and television broadcaster on cricket — before the Board of Control for Cricket in India made him chairman of the national selection committee in September 2008. Srikkanth shared with The Hindu his thoughts on India’s rise and prospects as a cricket power and on world cricket: Changing balance There has been a shift in the balance of power in world cricket. After suffering Test series defeats against India and South Africa, Australia is on the verge of being displaced as the No. 1 side in the ICC Test rankings. South Africa and India are within striking distance. How do you look at the changing scenario? We are very confident that we will eventually emerge as the No. 1 team in world cricket. This said, South Africa has done extremely well to defeat Australia in Australia. The South Africans, like the Indians, play an aggressive brand of cricket and have a strong captain in Greame Smith. The side has come together well as a unit. In Dale Steyn, South Africa has a fiery fast bowler who can run through sides. Australia has lost some key players over the last two years and is going through a difficult phase. But the side has the resources to come back hard. I believe India is the best-balanced side, in batting and bowling, among the top three teams. But then, the development of a side is a process and cannot be done overnight. At the end of 2009, we should be the No. 1 team in the ODIs. By 2010, we should be the top team in Test cricket. This is the dream of the selection committee and the Board. Consistency The Indian cricket team has been playing Test cricket with greater purpose and confidence outside the sub-continent. The Indian cricketers have adapted better to the conditions. If you look at the last three years, we have been consistently performing well in all conditions. We have beaten the West Indies in the West Indies and England in England in Test cricket. But for the umpiring errors in Sydney, we could have won the series in Australia too. We won a Test in South Africa and came close to winning the series. Our bowlers, I believe, have always done well outside India. Now our batting is complementing the bowling. The sting in the Indian pace attack is also a factor in the improved performances overseas. Winning a Test from nowhere, as India did in the recent Test against England in Chennai, reflects the belief in the side. This is the quality of a champion side. The Aussies in the past used to do that — win a Test from nowhere. After Chennai, the other teams will be conscious of the fact that India can win from a no-win situation. We can lose the toss, bat second, and still successfully chase down a big target. With somebody like Sehwag in our ranks, the opposition would not know when to declare. When you instill fear in the minds of the adversary, half the battle is won. You must be pleased with the Indian performances against Australia and England. The team has jelled extremely well. At crucial junctures, somebody or the other has put up his hand and taken the responsibility. Consistency is important and we are retaining our levels of intensity. Nothing succeeds like success and India is getting into the habit of winning. In the ODI series against England, India was 4-0 up and had clinched the series. The Indians still went out and won their fifth match. Selection process This has been an extremely successful period for Indian cricket. The new selection panel seems to have made all the right moves. We cannot get the combination right every time. But we don’t have any zonal bias; we don’t say ‘your man’ or ‘my man.’ We are selecting the team purely on merit and our conscience is clean. Since we are selecting the team with our heart, God will be with us. We are very happy with the results. The new selection panel took over during an extremely difficult phase. India had lost the Test series in Sri Lanka and the senior batsmen were under the scanner. Ultimately this proved a blessing in disguise. We overcame the challenge. The best way to sort out tough situations is to have a frank, open, heart-to-heart talk with people around you. We need to understand the problem and then find a solution. The communication between the chairman and his panel, between him and the coach, the captain and the senior players has to be fair and straight. Reaching out You are the kind who reaches out to people. I do not have any ego problems. Just because I am the chairman, I do not want to maintain a distance. I do want to reach out. The BCCI has also been very supportive. Mr. Shashank Manohar, the Board president, and Mr. N. Srinivasan, the Board secretary, are both very straightforward and forthright persons. We do not have any axe to grind. We do not have any hidden agenda. The selection of Sourav Ganguly for the Test series against Australia proved an inspired choice. The selectors were criticised in quarters for the move. Ganguly had just one bad series in Sri Lanka and people almost wrote him off. He has contributed immensely to Indian cricket and we felt he deserved another opportunity. We were playing Australia after a difficult series in Sri Lanka, which we lost. We needed an experienced left-hander in the middle-order and Ganguly was the right choice. The greatness of the player lay in the fact that he came back so strongly: his crucial efforts at Mohali and Nagpur were match-winning knocks. The selection committee’s decision to pick leg-spinner Amit Mishra and opener M. Vijay in the series against Australia was vindicated. We wanted to groom a leg-spinner and the original plan was to have Mishra as an understudy to Anil Kumble. It so happened that Kumble picked up an injury ahead of the second Test. Mishra made his debut and won the match for us at Mohali. When a guy can bowl genuine leg-spin with flight, dip, and turn, he can work on the other variations. Mishra has got a very good temperament and could be our next match-winner. Coming to Vijay, it was a case of taking a quick decision in an emergency situation. We either had to go for a tried and tested opener or Vijay. Dav Whatmore and Sourav Ganguly had said some good things about Vijay’s qualities as an opener to me. It was a trial by fire for Vijay on his debut. At the end of the day, we are not here to get the approval of the people. We are here to select the best team, one that will win matches for the country. If you want to produce match-winners, you cannot have a safe selection policy. Risk-taking This selection panel is not averse to taking calculated risks? We brought back Yusuf Pathan for the No. 7 slot in the ODIs against England. We wanted a semi all-rounder who could make use of the third block of the Power Play overs. He scored a big-hitting fifty and won a match for us. The Indians have shown judicious aggression. Dhoni’s men succeeded in hustling the Aussies. Except for the first Test in Bangalore, the Indian team dominated. We made runs at a very brisk rate and attacked the Aussies on the field. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir gave us brisk starts. Because of their attacking opening style, the opposition bowlers come under a lot of pressure. With the shine taken off the new ball, the middle-order prospered. Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma were equally attacking as they secured the early breakthroughs. The Indians were doing to the Aussies what they did to the others. Pace attack Zaheer and Ishant contained and struck, created the pressure. They have the makings of a fine pair. Zaheer and Ishant struck with their movement and control with the new ball. Then, in the flat sub-continental conditions, they were able to achieve reverse swing. It is a right-arm-left-arm combination. Once the pacemen can strike consistently with the old ball, they are very special. Value of Dravid The selectors were finally rewarded for persisting with Rahul Dravid. He made an important hundred at Mohali. He’s a batsman with over ten thousand runs in Test cricket. Dravid is also among the greatest batsmen the world has produced. If you don’t give Dravid the extra leeway, whom are you going to give it to? We have specific plans. During the forthcoming series in New Zealand, a player like Dravid will be very crucial for us. There will be bounce and movement for the pacemen in Kiwiland. If India is to progress to the No. I ranking, it has to beat New Zealand in New Zealand. Dravid will be a key member of the line-up at the No. 3 slot. There was speculation in some quarters that the selectors had set a deadline for Dravid to come good. You vehemently denied this. I felt quite hurt with a section of the media. What appeared was unfair on everyone concerned. I had gone to congratulate the side at Chepauk and met Dravid, who is also my old friend. I spoke to him in a bid to boost his morale. It was nothing more than that. Some people wrote from their imagination, without any proof. I have always believed that the media played a crucial role. But destructive criticism or plain sensationalism will prove detrimental to the development of Indian cricket. At the same time, we should welcome constructive criticism. ‘God of Indian cricket’ Your impressions on Sachin Tendulkar, the legend. You were his first India captain, on the 1989-90 tour of Pakistan. I reminded Sachin the previous night about his great hundred, in vain, against Pakistan in 1999. “This time your hundred will win us the match,” I told him. Laxman heard this and he said the following day, “Cheeka sir, you predicted correctly.” Sachin is giving his heart and soul for Indian cricket today. During his innings in Chennai, he took the responsibility of carrying India to victory on his shoulders. In difficult batting conditions, he was sensational. He is the God of Indian cricket. I was the captain of the Indian team when I saw him for the first time. He was just 16 then. He has not changed since. He still retains the enthusiasm of a schoolboy. This is remarkable in itself. His desire to play and excel for India has not come down a wee bit. This amazes me. The manner in which he is able to mingle with the younger players and guide them in the dressing room or on the field is fantastic. On Sehwag and Yuvi You are an admirer of Virender Sehwag as well. His blitzkrieg against England at Chepauk underlined his special ability to strike the ball. Before India batted on the fourth day of the Test, nobody gave us a chance of winning. Sehwag’s amazing innings put the Englishmen on the back foot. He can demolish any bowling, on any wicket in any situation and get those big hundreds. He pushes the opposition into a defensive mindset. He gave India the belief. Yuvraj Singh, a match winner, appears to be settling down in the Test eleven. The more confidence you give Yuvraj, the more he will deliver for you. He’s a Sehwag kind of match-winning batsman. Once he gets in, it’s hard to stop him. And he’s a left-hander to boot. A confidence game You speak much about the confidence factor. Cricket is a confidence game. If the player knows for sure that his place is secure, he will bat with greater freedom and belief. Gambhir struggled in the first Test against Australia in Bangalore. I told him, “Don’t worry, you will play all four Tests against Australia and the other two Tests versus England as well.” You saw a very different Gambhir in the subsequent matches. I had also told Yuvraj: “Don’t worry, Yuvi, you will get ample opportunities.” As the selection panel chairman, you should not send threatening signals. And about India’s spin department after the departure of the match-winning Anil Kumble? With over 300 wickets in Tests, Harbhajan has to take up the responsibility of the senior spinner. Mishra is coming along well but you cannot replace somebody like Kumble straightaway. Pragyan Ojha is a left-arm option. We are scouting for spin talent. We have identified a few cricketers but could do with more options. Batting bench strength Are you satisfied with India’s bench strength in batting? Our bench strength in batting is extraordinary. We also have much depth in pace bowling. There have been a few terrific performances by some promising pacemen in the Ranji Trophy. There could be a change in the composition of the Indian Test attack in New Zealand. The second spinner could prove a luxury. The conditions are likely to assist seam and swing in New Zealand. Naturally, the emphasis will be on pace. We might play just one spinner in the eleven. We have a good pace backup in Munaf Patel. He has a nice high-arm action, gets bounce and movement, bowls around the off-stump. Captain cool You share a good rapport with Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He has been a winning captain. Dhoni is very, very cool and practical. If the situation demands defensive tactics, he employs them without bothering about criticism. When he attacks, he does so wholeheartedly. He is flexible, does not stick to one plan. He is a very intelligent captain but keeps things simple. Dhoni is a good motivator. India is no longer dependent on sub-continental dustbowls to win Tests. We have proved the whole world wrong. We have proved that we can win on batting tracks like the one at Mohali. The surface at Nagpur too encouraged batting for the most part. In Chennai, we batted last on a dusty pitch with cracks and still chased 387 and won. India is now capable of winning on any kind of pitch. This is essentially because the pacemen have started getting wickets with the old ball. Fine coach Gary Kirsten, the India coach, has been a revelation. Quietly efficient, he seems to be popular with the players. Gary knows how to get the best out of the players. He has got his strategies written down. I went to the dressing room after the Chennai Test. He showed me the board. Written on it were targets that had to be achieved at specific stages of the game — like what should be our score at tea or at close of play. The players feel he is one of the best coaches India has ever had. He is very much a behind-the-scene-man. Most importantly, he is open to ideas.

[SachDan]

Chairman of selectors Srikkanth on India's rise and the changing balance of power in world cricket ‘God of Indian cricket’ Your impressions on Sachin Tendulkar, the legend. You were his first India captain, on the 1989-90 tour of Pakistan. I reminded Sachin the previous night about his great hundred, in vain, against Pakistan in 1999. “This time your hundred will win us the match,†I told him. Laxman heard this and he said the following day, “Cheeka sir, you predicted correctly.†Sachin is giving his heart and soul for Indian cricket today. During his innings in Chennai, he took the responsibility of carrying India to victory on his shoulders. In difficult batting conditions, he was sensational. He is the God of Indian cricket. I was the captain of the Indian team when I saw him for the first time. He was just 16 then. He has not changed since. He still retains the enthusiasm of a schoolboy. This is remarkable in itself. His desire to play and excel for India has not come down a wee bit. This amazes me. The manner in which he is able to mingle with the younger players and guide them in the dressing room or on the field is fantastic.

Finey, u heard it ?? even chairman of selectors view him as 'God of Cricket'!!

[Dinx - the Jinx]

I just finished reading the article on cricinfo and came here. When was the last time (or has it ever happened) where a Chairman of selectors have set targets for the players like a CEO in a company. As we folks in the corporate world realize, at the beginning of every year (be it fiscal ore calendar) the CEO sets the targets for te company which is cascaded down to every level and we go and get things done to achieve our personal targets and in turn the company's overall target. Its good to see a selector with nt just vision and mission, but also a purpose and direction. By setting these targets in front of the players, he is openly challenging the players to give it their best shot. By making it known to the general public like us, he is making them responsible and accountable. We should stop thinking in terms of celebrating when series is won, criticizing when series is lost, only to to start celebrating again, when the next series is won. Srikanth, along with Dhoni and other senior members in the team, should come up with a roadmap, work out permutations and combinations of how their chances of topping the table will improve as they win/lose/draw series, as against their rivals and set SMART targets and go all out to achieve those. Best luck Team India.

[Rajan]

good interview. straight talking. he may not have been the brightest brain when he was opening for india, but he proved that he has a cricketing brain and man management skills when he led the team in pakistan against imran khan's team. once again he has proved that he has honest intentions. good for the the team.keep it up Cheeka!

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[fineleg]

God of cricket has just become a cliche phrase these days PS: Good interview in parts by cheeka. All the phrases apart, I hope they achieve the goals and drive hard towards it.

[SachDan]

God of cricket has just become a cliche phrase these days

:eyedance::eyedance::eyedance:

[zubinpepsi]

very realistic goals.... but i jus dont agree with his views on Dravid... Dravid will bring down the team for sure..

[SachDan]

very realistic goals.... but i jus dont agree with his views on Dravid... Dravid will bring down the team for sure..

Now that Dravid was persisted with even in such awful form,it would be foolish on the part of selectors not to pick him NZ tour where men will be seperated from the boys with ball moving n seaming in one motion !!

[King Tendulkar]

We should aim to be no 1 test side by end of year

[Chandan]

We should aim to be no 1 test side by end of year

Even if we do aim, we can't be number 1 side by the end of this year because we are playing series against NZ (ranked no 8), SL (ranked no 5) and BD (ranked no 9). You can't gain the top spot by playing against these low ranked teams. At the most we can regain the bilateral trophies from NZ and SL. Talking of holding bilateral trophies, how many do we hold? Ind- Aus -- Ind Ind-SA -- SA Ind-Eng -- Ind Ind-SL -- SL Ind-Pak -- Ind Ind-WI -- Ind Ind-NZ -- NZ Ind-BD -- Ind So we can gain against SL and NZ but we'll have to wait for SA.

[Lord]

We should aim to be no 1 test side by end of year

u mean this year?,not possible.we r too far behind n play only 7 tests thru out the year.

[hitman1980]

Kick dravid, laxman and sachin out if we want to be no.1 team ... Even if they can't be kicked then also give the youngsters chances in few matches ... Give some of the seniors rest for test matches ... We don't want India to go same path as of australia where they haven't tried any young players and kept on playing warne and mcgrath ... Now they r suffering .. Hope India learn from this .. It will be even better if some sense prevails and these 3 get retired ...

[Lord]

Kick dravid, laxman and sachin out if we want to be no.1 team ... Even if they can't be kicked then also give the youngsters chances in few matches ... Give some of the seniors rest for test matches ... We don't want India to go same path as of australia where they haven't tried any young players and kept on playing warne and mcgrath ... Now they r suffering .. Hope India learn from this .. It will be even better if some sense prevails and these 3 get retired ...

infact the aussies r struggling bcoz they r playing youngsters,not only oldies.the same people u wanna kick out have taken us to no.2 position.theres no reason they cant take us to no.1 too.phasing out seniors one by one is necessary,recently dada n kumble have retiired,we dont want everyone to go suddenly leaving a huge void.these 3 know themselves wen to retire.we should leave them alone.

[flamy]

Nice interview. That's the first time I heard what Kirsten is doing. Seems like he is doing a good job. Also, glad to know they are going to be playing only one spinner in the eleven. Also, as we already knew, we don't have too many quality spinners going around. Parmar, Chawla, Ojha, M. Kartik, Mishra are our options. Sehwag and Yuvi may just have to work harder.

[Anakin]

Kick dravid, laxman and sachin out if we want to be no.1 team ... Even if they can't be kicked then also give the youngsters chances in few matches ... Give some of the seniors rest for test matches ... We don't want India to go same path as of australia where they haven't tried any young players and kept on playing warne and mcgrath ... Now they r suffering .. Hope India learn from this .. It will be even better if some sense prevails and these 3 get retired ...

:haha::haha::haha::haha:

[Ram]

Very nice interview. Srikkanth has all that you want from a Chairman of selectors; A vision for the team's future, A policy focusing on youth yet respecting the old and the established, A penchant to taking risks and more importantly, a former player who understand the trials and tribulations of international cricket and the stresses and strains it places on the player. I am particularly impressed with the way they've handled Dravid and Yuvraj, two contrasting cases. Dravid is a behemoth of the game going through some tough times. The selection committee has maintained dignified distance from him and yet reassured him of place, while in the case of Yuvraj, its been more a case of getting up-close and personal with a young player with a fledgling test career. Two different cases, two different approaches. And the selection of M.Vijay is one of the most positive moves I have seen in a selection committee. They could have easily selected Jaffer, Chopra or Parthiv, all of whom who were scoring heavily in domestic cricket then. Imagine what would have happened had Vijay failed in such an important test, all knives would have been out to get the selectors for selecting a rookie player for the deciding test. Yet, they took the punt and were rewarded. Also, the Saurav Ganguly and Anil Kumble episodes were also handled well. These are good times for Indian cricket.

[hitman1980]

infact the aussies r struggling bcoz they r playing youngsters' date='not only oldies.the same people u wanna kick out have taken us to no.2 position.theres no reason they cant take us to no.1 too.phasing out seniors one by one is necessary,recently dada n kumble have retiired,we dont want everyone to go suddenly leaving a huge void.these 3 know themselves wen to retire.we should leave them alone.[/quote'] So pointing, hayden, hussey, clarke, brett lee, symonds r all youngsters??? Aussies r struggling cos they didn't gave their youngsters enough exposure at international level ... They kept on persisting with oldies ... India should avoid doing such mistakes ... There r so many players waiting for their turn ... Give them enough exposure before these oldies retire ... Raina, Pujara, Rohit, Vijay, Badrinath, Sreesanth, RP, Munaf, Pathan bros, piyush and many other r knocking the doors ... The keyword here is exposure ... Give all of them exposure ... Specially in the batting department ... These oldies r dropping the standard of fielding and also rahul and laxman r now way past their best .. Sachin still can carry for 1-2 year .. But other two should make the decision quickly..

[Anakin]

Great to see drop SRT crowd is still alive and doing well.

[Lord]

So pointing' date=' hayden, hussey, clarke, brett lee, symonds r all youngsters??? Aussies r struggling cos they didn't gave their youngsters enough exposure at international level ... They kept on persisting with oldies ... India should avoid doing such mistakes ... There r so many players waiting for their turn ... Give them enough exposure before these oldies retire ... Raina, Pujara, Rohit, Vijay, Badrinath, Sreesanth, RP, Munaf, Pathan bros, piyush and many other r knocking the doors ... The keyword here is exposure ... Give all of them exposure ... Specially in the batting department ... These oldies r dropping the standard of fielding and also rahul and laxman r now way past their best .. Sachin still can carry for 1-2 year .. But other two should make the decision quickly..[/quote'] so u think aussies are struggling bcoz of their batting?all the names u mentioned are batsman.n its their bowling which is struggling consistently,they couldnt even get the tail out quickly in 2nd test.warne n mcgrath r gone. the youngsters u mentioned are getting enuf exposure in ODIs.let them prove it there that they really deserve to play tests,others should keep performing consistently in dom.cricket.just one two good seasons are not good enuf to award them test spots.it cant be gifted. n btw laxman who is past his prime acc to you hit a 200* against aussies just recently.dravid hit a crucial ton in trying conditions at mohali