India Capable of upsetting Aussies: Anshuman Gaekwad

[DesiChap]

New Delhi: Former India coach Aunshuman Gaekwad, who is reportedly being considered to replace Dilip Vengsarkar as a selector in case things don't work out between the former India captain and the cricket Board, joined Cricketnext.com for a chat on Tuesday. In a freewheeling interaction with readers, Gaekwad discussed the prospects of the Indian cricket team in Australia and what needs to be done during the testing tour Down Under. Sri: Who is your all time favourite Indian cricket player? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Hi everyone, Sunil Gavaskar is the favourite from my era and Sachin Tendulkar from this era. Arvind Tripathi: How do you rate India's bowling for the tour of Australia? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Deceptive, because our pace bowlers are not fit enough. Of the pace battery that India have so far, RP Singh and Sreesanth are not fit. Only Zaheer can really be relied on. On Aussie pitches, it is imperative that you have a good pace attack. Upasna Jain: What are your thoughts about the ongoing series? Will performances here help when we tour Australia? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Yes, of course. Difference in pitches does not matter so much. Confidence brings in success. That is why I hope India will do well. It is only a question of adapting. Confidence is the bottomline. Nawab: You have been an opener yourself. Don't you think Indian selectors are relying too heavily on make-shift openers? Aunshuman Gaekwad: I agree to what you have said. There has been a lot of chopping and changing in the opening department. Opening is a specialised job like that of wicketkeepers and not many makeshift openers can be successful. It is unfortunate that the selectors have not been giving enough time or confidence to the potential openers to be successful. For instance, Wasim Jaffer, who has always done well, was not a certainty in the team till the England tour and this home series. The other examples would be Gautam Gambhir and Akash Chopra. Bhaskar: Why was Sehwag not picked for the Pakistan series? Aunshuman Gaekwad: I think it is justified. Sehwag is a great player, who has proved himself at the international level, but at the moment, looks in all types of problems. I would regard him lucky to have been selected in recent ODIs. His basic problems remain and that is why he has not been successful in recent times. Lekh: Hi ....bowling out Australia twice in Test matches seems to be a difficult proposition given our current bowling attack....at least the Test at the Eden Gardens indicates that. Aunshuman Gaekwad: I feel we can take 20 wickets. Apart from help for pace bowlers, even spinners like Kumble and Harbhajan can be effective because of the extra bounce in Australia. Even Murali Kartik, for that matter. Ashwin: It would have been better to send Tendulkar up the order in the Indian 2nd innings at Eden Gardens to accelerate the run rate. Aunshuman Gaekwad: No, I don't think so. It is not right since it was the right move. Anil Kumble had to send Dhoni up rather than Tendulkar. We have always had this problem in the Indian team that anyone who plays well and is effective in the middle-order is pushed on to the higher order. Ultimately, that person does not come back to the middle-order and goes out of the team for not performing. Dhoni can hit the ball harder and play unorthodox shots. It is very difficult for the bowlers and the captain to adjust the fielding for someone like him. Deepak: As Dinesh Karthik is not perfoming that well, why can't Yuvraj Singh be played. He is also a good part-time spinner. Aunshuman Gaekwad: It is true that Yuvraj has been performing well and is a batsman in tremendous form. I don't want to challenge his abilities as a batsman but at the same time, Yuvraj has performed well in the One-Dayers rather than Tests. This does not mean that he can't do well in the longer version, but at the same time, all those who have been doing well in Tests, can't be ignored. It is a very difficult decision for the selectors and the captain to make but then one has to be logical and reasonable. Bouncer: Do you think senior players don't have respect in the Indian team? Aunshuman Gaekwad: It is not true. All youngsters do respect seniors, not only because of their past performances, but because they have been a great inspiration and guide to the younger lot, who have been benefiting hell of a lot out of the experience. Parijat Mahajan: Are you taking over as the selector from Vengsarkar? Aunshuman Gaekwad: I have not received any communication from the BCCI as of now. But one cannot refuse a national duty. I, for one, would like to contribute to Indian cricket for which it has given me everything that I am today. Prabhu: Where is Balaji? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Balaji has been injured for long. He was a very promising cricketer. Though he has started playing again, he is not as effective as he was. Gowridev: What about Rahul Dravid's One-Day career? Should he be called back into the team? Another question, why can't our bowlers bowl yorkers? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Rahul should be in the team. When he established himself as a Test cricketer, he had the best cricketing technique in the Indian team. I insisted as a coach to the selectors that he should be picked for the ODIs. The selectors laughed that time and said he cannot place the ball in the gaps. However, he was ultimately selected and proved his mettle and scored more than 10,000 runs in ODIs. He is a fit cricketer and not a burden on the team at any given time or situation, which he proved in the recent ODI series in England. His strike rate in England ODIs was well over 100 in which case not many of the established batsmen in the Indian team are as effective as Rahul. So, it is very unfortunate that he is excluded from the Indian ODI squad. As for our bowlers bowling yorkers, it is a matter of practice and a lot depends on the coach and the individual bowler who wants to work on it. There is nothing impossible in cricketing language as long as you work for it in the right direction with sincerity. Priyanka: I can't believe Yuvraj is not in the Test side and Rohit Sharma not in the ODI side. Your view, they both might be missing crucial years and India some crucial wins. Aunshuman Gaekwad: Rohit has done well in the longer version in the domestic cricket, though you can't compare him with Yuvraj in ODIs. However, you can't ignore the performance given by players in the Indian Test squad, including Laxman. Therefore, they both will have to wait for their turn. Krish: Sir, How can the Indian batsmen make sure that they match up to the Australian bowling? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Hi Krish, Firstly, the Indians have to believe in their potential and ability in what they can do and what they can't and stick to it, forgetting what the opposition is. We saw in the last series in Australia that India did very well under Ganguly and they were very successful. As long as we have the will to stay on the pitch with correct shot selection, the team will be successful. I believe that the Indian team with its potential that I have seen from close, they are the ones who can upset Australia. Piyush: When will India be able to move out of the 'Big Three' hysteric frame of mind? They are great players but clearly not India's future. Tiwary, Sharma, Raina, Badrinath, all are good players and need to be groomed. None of them have played much. Aunshuman Gaekwad: Piyush you are right that we have to look towards the future and all these players are very promising and will serve in the time to come. However, there is plenty of difference between domestic cricket and international cricket. The more experience and exposure they get at the domestic level, the more likely they are to prove good at the international level. The so-called seniors, as far as they are fit and performing, can not be removed as it would be unjust towards them. Yes, there have been similar cases in the past when Bishan Singh Bedi and Prasanna were playing for India, we had equivalent good spinners playing in the domestic cricket, namely Rajinder Goel, Padmakar Shivalkar, Ashok Joshi, Uday Doshi. Though they were good enough to play for India with their class, had to wait since Bedi and company were already doing well. It was unfortunate that these bowlers, who were equally good, could not play for India at all. Sreehari: Sir, I think openers will be crucial for the Tests against Australia. How do you rate Gautam Gambhir as a Test opener? He seems to be a compact player. Aunshuman Gaekwad: Opening is a specialised job, like I said earlier. In a place like Australia we need genuine openers who have the idea of the new ball and with a mindset of spending most of the time at the wicket, like Wasim Jaffer. Makeshift openers may not succeed in Australia on the bouncy tracks with the likes of Lee and company. Adi: Do you think Dhoni has it in him to make runs in places like Australia? Especially in Tests. I'm sure he'll not be the dominating play he is when he plays there. And will that affect his leadership skills? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Dhoni has great capacity to adapt according to the conditions that we have seen so far. When I saw him for the first time in international cricket, I thought that he would not last long. However, he adjusted, adapted and applied himself par excellence to be successful as we see him now. Therefore, I am sure a good student of the game and a good thinker that he is, surely would adjust his technique to the Aussie conditions and will be successful. Gowridev: Do u think Pathan should be in the team? Aunshuman Gaekwad: I would like to see him in the Indian team all the time, not as a passenger but as a strike bowler that he was, which seems he lost in between and started concentrating more on his batting. I would like to see him back in the Indian team, especially on the Australian tour, as a strike bowler, as he is a great value to the team. Roy: I am a Indian Cricket fan in Dublin, Ireland and wish to ask you whether the BCCI mistreats the best cricketers in the country, like Kapil Dev and now Vengsarkar. Do you think BCCI could soon be in trouble if it keeps going on like this? Aunshuman Gaekwad: On face value, it looks as if the BCCI is mistreating ex-cricketers, but let us not forget, it does not happen one way. There is always a reason for BCCI to react the way they have been doing. Surely, there could be another method by which problems like what we have seen with Kapil and Vengsarkar could have been solved by BCCI. However, it is always easy to play a blame game without knowing both sides of the story. Arijeet Dutta: Who should partner Wasim Jaffer as an opener in the Tests against Australia? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Looking at the Australian conditions, Gambhir would be ideally suited as he can play his shots, mainly the cut and pull on those bouncy tracks. Sreehari: How do you rate Gary Kirsten as a coach? Aunshuman Gaekwad: To be very frank, I have not seen Gary coach any team. Not that I know him that well to comment on his expertise. He has been a successful cricketer for South Africa and one will have to wait and see how successful he is going to be, especially that he has played cricket with current Indian players. As a coach, one has to command respect and not demand respect and since he has played with most of the seniors in the team, one wonders how he will cope up with the job unless he is a good man manager. Sreehari: Do you think Piyush Chawla should be going to Australia? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Piyush should be included, not as a strike bowler but as an understudy to get experience and exposure to serve the country during the time to come. Dev: What do u think about Praveen Kumar's performances and what do you think about the ICL format(do players playing this format stand a chance of playing for India? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Praveen Kumar has been doing well on domestic circuit. This year he also did excellently in the Challenger Trophy. But then again, there is a lot of difference between domestic and international cricket and I would like to wait and see him for one more domestic season. As for the ICL, it entirely depends on the BCCI and their outlook on ICL. The question here does not arise about individual players playing for ICL but the relation/recognition between the two. Joseph Pallath: Sir, what would be the first thing you would do if you became a national selector? Aunshuman Gaekwad: The question here is first of all whether I am going to be a selector. I have not given any thought to stories about me becoming a replacement for Vengsarkar. I don't believe in counting chickens before they are hatched. I would surely let you know as to what I would do once I become a selector. Manik Chawla: Why doesn't India use a rotation policy, especially with bowlers? Look what happened to RP Singh, he has been playing every match because he has been doing well and now he is out. Aunshuman Gaekwad: I agree with the rotation policy which can be very effective in the present scenario of plenty of cricket. But by rotating players, we do not have as much talent which could win us match after match. Winning matches is of utmost importance for the confidence of the players. And by rotating, if we can't win matches, the rotation policy would have no meaning whatsoever. Arijeet Dutta: Do you think Australia will miss the services of Shane Warne, Justin Langer and Glenn McGrath? Does their absence give India a realistic chance in the Test series? Aunshuman Gaekwad: They would definitely be missed. They have been greats, but then the kind of bench strength the Aussies have, is commendable. There is always someone or the other waiting to do well, whether bowler or batsman. Especially, playing at home is not going to make Indians' life happy. As there is a saying in cricket, there is no one who is indispensable. During our time, we had Gavaskar-Viswanath and it was always said that India can't win matches without them. But then, we had Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman, Yuvraj, who have been doing the job for the country. It is only a question of time that the story will tell itself. Vikramkeshari: Anshu ji, My question is: "you were a coach with great success. Why is the Board looking for foreign coaches? Is it for the real betterment of cricket or does the Board want to get publicity or just show that they are rich? Aunshuman Gaekwad: One wonders why Indians need a foreign coach when most of the successful coaches since 1992 till date have been Indians. It is absolutely true that Indian coaches would understand the Indian players far better than the foreign coaches simply because of diversified languages, Gods, eating habits and so on. The Indian mentality will be better understood by an Indian coach unlike what happened with Greg Chappell. Dev: If you get one more chance as Indian coach will you accept it? Aunshuman Gaekwad: I would not say no to national duty and in the interest of Indian cricket. I have done this earlier after a lot of hesitation when Kapil Dev resigned. I take it as a challenge and would like to give back all that I have learnt over the years. Arijeet Dutta: It was good to see Rahul Dravid bat at the crucial number three slot in the series against Pakistan. Do you think he should always bat in this position since he has the best technique? Aunshuman Gaekwad: In cricket, it is always said that the best technically sound batsman should bat at number three to take care of the fall of an early wicket. This means that number three can steady the innings and give a sound start for the batsmen to follow. Like when I was playing, I was told that I need not play any shots or score any runs as all that would be done by Gavaskar, but ensure that there is no early fall of wicket and the team gets a good start, which is half the battle won. Sreehari: Sir, what will be your batting line-up for the Test matches in Australia be? Aunshuman Gaekwad: I would have the same batting line-up. I would put Gautam Gambhir instead of Dinesh Karthik. Joseph Pallath: Would you join the ICL if you are called by Kapil sir? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Kapil did call me up a couple of times and mentioned to me about ICL, but thereafter I have not heard anything from him as far as the offer is concerned. I would not comment at the moment since there is no offer in hand. It was nice joining you for this chat. I really enjoyed answering all your questions and it was good to take questions from some knowledgeable fans. Look forward to joining you again some time in the future. Bye for now. http://www.cricketnext.com/news/india-capable-of-upsetting-aussies/28163-13-single.html

[bharat297]

Seems like he knows what he is talking about

[Guest Hiten.]

I rather have ex-players to shut up and wait for the outcome, instead of going ga-ga about our chances in down under.

[jacky007]

India Capable of upsetting Aussies: Anshuman Gaekwad Long way to read but some very intersting questions and answers by our "maybe" next chair selector. New Delhi: Former India coach Aunshuman Gaekwad, who is reportedly being considered to replace Dilip Vengsarkar as a selector in case things don't work out between the former India captain and the cricket Board, joined Cricketnext.com for a chat on Tuesday. In a freewheeling interaction with readers, Gaekwad discussed the prospects of the Indian cricket team in Australia and what needs to be done during the testing tour Down Under. Sri: Who is your all time favourite Indian cricket player? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Hi everyone, Sunil Gavaskar is the favourite from my era and Sachin Tendulkar from this era. Arvind Tripathi: How do you rate India's bowling for the tour of Australia? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Deceptive, because our pace bowlers are not fit enough. Of the pace battery that India have so far, RP Singh and Sreesanth are not fit. Only Zaheer can really be relied on. On Aussie pitches, it is imperative that you have a good pace attack. Upasna Jain: What are your thoughts about the ongoing series? Will performances here help when we tour Australia? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Yes, of course. Difference in pitches does not matter so much. Confidence brings in success. That is why I hope India will do well. It is only a question of adapting. Confidence is the bottomline. Nawab: You have been an opener yourself. Don't you think Indian selectors are relying too heavily on make-shift openers? Aunshuman Gaekwad: I agree to what you have said. There has been a lot of chopping and changing in the opening department. Opening is a specialised job like that of wicketkeepers and not many makeshift openers can be successful. It is unfortunate that the selectors have not been giving enough time or confidence to the potential openers to be successful. For instance, Wasim Jaffer, who has always done well, was not a certainty in the team till the England tour and this home series. The other examples would be Gautam Gambhir and Akash Chopra. Bhaskar: Why was Sehwag not picked for the Pakistan series? Aunshuman Gaekwad: I think it is justified. Sehwag is a great player, who has proved himself at the international level, but at the moment, looks in all types of problems. I would regard him lucky to have been selected in recent ODIs. His basic problems remain and that is why he has not been successful in recent times. Lekh: Hi ....bowling out Australia twice in Test matches seems to be a difficult proposition given our current bowling attack....at least the Test at the Eden Gardens indicates that. Aunshuman Gaekwad: I feel we can take 20 wickets. Apart from help for pace bowlers, even spinners like Kumble and Harbhajan can be effective because of the extra bounce in Australia. Even Murali Kartik, for that matter. Ashwin: It would have been better to send Tendulkar up the order in the Indian 2nd innings at Eden Gardens to accelerate the run rate. Aunshuman Gaekwad: No, I don't think so. It is not right since it was the right move. Anil Kumble had to send Dhoni up rather than Tendulkar. We have always had this problem in the Indian team that anyone who plays well and is effective in the middle-order is pushed on to the higher order. Ultimately, that person does not come back to the middle-order and goes out of the team for not performing. Dhoni can hit the ball harder and play unorthodox shots. It is very difficult for the bowlers and the captain to adjust the fielding for someone like him. Deepak: As Dinesh Karthik is not perfoming that well, why can't Yuvraj Singh be played. He is also a good part-time spinner. Aunshuman Gaekwad: It is true that Yuvraj has been performing well and is a batsman in tremendous form. I don't want to challenge his abilities as a batsman but at the same time, Yuvraj has performed well in the One-Dayers rather than Tests. This does not mean that he can't do well in the longer version, but at the same time, all those who have been doing well in Tests, can't be ignored. It is a very difficult decision for the selectors and the captain to make but then one has to be logical and reasonable. Bouncer: Do you think senior players don't have respect in the Indian team? Aunshuman Gaekwad: It is not true. All youngsters do respect seniors, not only because of their past performances, but because they have been a great inspiration and guide to the younger lot, who have been benefiting hell of a lot out of the experience. Parijat Mahajan: Are you taking over as the selector from Vengsarkar? Aunshuman Gaekwad: I have not received any communication from the BCCI as of now. But one cannot refuse a national duty. I, for one, would like to contribute to Indian cricket for which it has given me everything that I am today. Prabhu: Where is Balaji? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Balaji has been injured for long. He was a very promising cricketer. Though he has started playing again, he is not as effective as he was. Gowridev: What about Rahul Dravid's One-Day career? Should he be called back into the team? Another question, why can't our bowlers bowl yorkers? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Rahul should be in the team. When he established himself as a Test cricketer, he had the best cricketing technique in the Indian team. I insisted as a coach to the selectors that he should be picked for the ODIs. The selectors laughed that time and said he cannot place the ball in the gaps. However, he was ultimately selected and proved his mettle and scored more than 10,000 runs in ODIs. He is a fit cricketer and not a burden on the team at any given time or situation, which he proved in the recent ODI series in England. His strike rate in England ODIs was well over 100 in which case not many of the established batsmen in the Indian team are as effective as Rahul. So, it is very unfortunate that he is excluded from the Indian ODI squad. As for our bowlers bowling yorkers, it is a matter of practice and a lot depends on the coach and the individual bowler who wants to work on it. There is nothing impossible in cricketing language as long as you work for it in the right direction with sincerity. Priyanka: I can't believe Yuvraj is not in the Test side and Rohit Sharma not in the ODI side. Your view, they both might be missing crucial years and India some crucial wins. Aunshuman Gaekwad: Rohit has done well in the longer version in the domestic cricket, though you can't compare him with Yuvraj in ODIs. However, you can't ignore the performance given by players in the Indian Test squad, including Laxman. Therefore, they both will have to wait for their turn. Krish: Sir, How can the Indian batsmen make sure that they match up to the Australian bowling? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Hi Krish, Firstly, the Indians have to believe in their potential and ability in what they can do and what they can't and stick to it, forgetting what the opposition is. We saw in the last series in Australia that India did very well under Ganguly and they were very successful. As long as we have the will to stay on the pitch with correct shot selection, the team will be successful. I believe that the Indian team with its potential that I have seen from close, they are the ones who can upset Australia. Piyush: When will India be able to move out of the 'Big Three' hysteric frame of mind? They are great players but clearly not India's future. Tiwary, Sharma, Raina, Badrinath, all are good players and need to be groomed. None of them have played much. Aunshuman Gaekwad: Piyush you are right that we have to look towards the future and all these players are very promising and will serve in the time to come. However, there is plenty of difference between domestic cricket and international cricket. The more experience and exposure they get at the domestic level, the more likely they are to prove good at the international level. The so-called seniors, as far as they are fit and performing, can not be removed as it would be unjust towards them. Yes, there have been similar cases in the past when Bishan Singh Bedi and Prasanna were playing for India, we had equivalent good spinners playing in the domestic cricket, namely Rajinder Goel, Padmakar Shivalkar, Ashok Joshi, Uday Doshi. Though they were good enough to play for India with their class, had to wait since Bedi and company were already doing well. It was unfortunate that these bowlers, who were equally good, could not play for India at all. Sreehari: Sir, I think openers will be crucial for the Tests against Australia. How do you rate Gautam Gambhir as a Test opener? He seems to be a compact player. Aunshuman Gaekwad: Opening is a specialised job, like I said earlier. In a place like Australia we need genuine openers who have the idea of the new ball and with a mindset of spending most of the time at the wicket, like Wasim Jaffer. Makeshift openers may not succeed in Australia on the bouncy tracks with the likes of Lee and company. Adi: Do you think Dhoni has it in him to make runs in places like Australia? Especially in Tests. I'm sure he'll not be the dominating play he is when he plays there. And will that affect his leadership skills? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Dhoni has great capacity to adapt according to the conditions that we have seen so far. When I saw him for the first time in international cricket, I thought that he would not last long. However, he adjusted, adapted and applied himself par excellence to be successful as we see him now. Therefore, I am sure a good student of the game and a good thinker that he is, surely would adjust his technique to the Aussie conditions and will be successful. Gowridev: Do u think Pathan should be in the team? Aunshuman Gaekwad: I would like to see him in the Indian team all the time, not as a passenger but as a strike bowler that he was, which seems he lost in between and started concentrating more on his batting. I would like to see him back in the Indian team, especially on the Australian tour, as a strike bowler, as he is a great value to the team. Roy: I am a Indian Cricket fan in Dublin, Ireland and wish to ask you whether the BCCI mistreats the best cricketers in the country, like Kapil Dev and now Vengsarkar. Do you think BCCI could soon be in trouble if it keeps going on like this? Aunshuman Gaekwad: On face value, it looks as if the BCCI is mistreating ex-cricketers, but let us not forget, it does not happen one way. There is always a reason for BCCI to react the way they have been doing. Surely, there could be another method by which problems like what we have seen with Kapil and Vengsarkar could have been solved by BCCI. However, it is always easy to play a blame game without knowing both sides of the story. Arijeet Dutta: Who should partner Wasim Jaffer as an opener in the Tests against Australia? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Looking at the Australian conditions, Gambhir would be ideally suited as he can play his shots, mainly the cut and pull on those bouncy tracks. Sreehari: How do you rate Gary Kirsten as a coach? Aunshuman Gaekwad: To be very frank, I have not seen Gary coach any team. Not that I know him that well to comment on his expertise. He has been a successful cricketer for South Africa and one will have to wait and see how successful he is going to be, especially that he has played cricket with current Indian players. As a coach, one has to command respect and not demand respect and since he has played with most of the seniors in the team, one wonders how he will cope up with the job unless he is a good man manager. Sreehari: Do you think Piyush Chawla should be going to Australia? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Piyush should be included, not as a strike bowler but as an understudy to get experience and exposure to serve the country during the time to come. Dev: What do u think about Praveen Kumar's performances and what do you think about the ICL format(do players playing this format stand a chance of playing for India? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Praveen Kumar has been doing well on domestic circuit. This year he also did excellently in the Challenger Trophy. But then again, there is a lot of difference between domestic and international cricket and I would like to wait and see him for one more domestic season. As for the ICL, it entirely depends on the BCCI and their outlook on ICL. The question here does not arise about individual players playing for ICL but the relation/recognition between the two. Joseph Pallath: Sir, what would be the first thing you would do if you became a national selector? Aunshuman Gaekwad: The question here is first of all whether I am going to be a selector. I have not given any thought to stories about me becoming a replacement for Vengsarkar. I don't believe in counting chickens before they are hatched. I would surely let you know as to what I would do once I become a selector. Manik Chawla: Why doesn't India use a rotation policy, especially with bowlers? Look what happened to RP Singh, he has been playing every match because he has been doing well and now he is out. Aunshuman Gaekwad: I agree with the rotation policy which can be very effective in the present scenario of plenty of cricket. But by rotating players, we do not have as much talent which could win us match after match. Winning matches is of utmost importance for the confidence of the players. And by rotating, if we can't win matches, the rotation policy would have no meaning whatsoever. Arijeet Dutta: Do you think Australia will miss the services of Shane Warne, Justin Langer and Glenn McGrath? Does their absence give India a realistic chance in the Test series? Aunshuman Gaekwad: They would definitely be missed. They have been greats, but then the kind of bench strength the Aussies have, is commendable. There is always someone or the other waiting to do well, whether bowler or batsman. Especially, playing at home is not going to make Indians' life happy. As there is a saying in cricket, there is no one who is indispensable. During our time, we had Gavaskar-Viswanath and it was always said that India can't win matches without them. But then, we had Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman, Yuvraj, who have been doing the job for the country. It is only a question of time that the story will tell itself. Vikramkeshari: Anshu ji, My question is: "you were a coach with great success. Why is the Board looking for foreign coaches? Is it for the real betterment of cricket or does the Board want to get publicity or just show that they are rich? Aunshuman Gaekwad: One wonders why Indians need a foreign coach when most of the successful coaches since 1992 till date have been Indians. It is absolutely true that Indian coaches would understand the Indian players far better than the foreign coaches simply because of diversified languages, Gods, eating habits and so on. The Indian mentality will be better understood by an Indian coach unlike what happened with Greg Chappell. Dev: If you get one more chance as Indian coach will you accept it? Aunshuman Gaekwad: I would not say no to national duty and in the interest of Indian cricket. I have done this earlier after a lot of hesitation when Kapil Dev resigned. I take it as a challenge and would like to give back all that I have learnt over the years. Arijeet Dutta: It was good to see Rahul Dravid bat at the crucial number three slot in the series against Pakistan. Do you think he should always bat in this position since he has the best technique? Aunshuman Gaekwad: In cricket, it is always said that the best technically sound batsman should bat at number three to take care of the fall of an early wicket. This means that number three can steady the innings and give a sound start for the batsmen to follow. Like when I was playing, I was told that I need not play any shots or score any runs as all that would be done by Gavaskar, but ensure that there is no early fall of wicket and the team gets a good start, which is half the battle won. Sreehari: Sir, what will be your batting line-up for the Test matches in Australia be? Aunshuman Gaekwad: I would have the same batting line-up. I would put Gautam Gambhir instead of Dinesh Karthik. Joseph Pallath: Would you join the ICL if you are called by Kapil sir? Aunshuman Gaekwad: Kapil did call me up a couple of times and mentioned to me about ICL, but thereafter I have not heard anything from him as far as the offer is concerned. I would not comment at the moment since there is no offer in hand. It was nice joining you for this chat. I really enjoyed answering all your questions and it was good to take questions from some knowledgeable fans. Look forward to joining you again some time in the future. Bye for now. source: cricketnext

[Dravid]

posted..with same title