‘India will definitely be there in the last four,then anything can happen’

Well,there is a lot of talent in Pune. We have provided them a good platform to show their talent. Only (Chandu) Borde and Hrishikesh Kanitkar have played for long for India,of which only Borde has played Test cricket. Who knows the next Sachin Tendulkar might be from Pune.

Manoj More: Coming to Sunday’s India vs Ireland match,do you think Ireland can stage another coup?

No,I don’t think so. You know how it is. They have created an impact in the World Cup surely. Ireland played extremely well on that particular day. I think for them to repeat a performance like that against India is not possible. But India is a strong side at home,to win against them would be difficult. I think they might play R Ashwin tomorrow.

Manoj More: Our bowlers have been taken apart in the previous matches. Do you think we should play an extra specialist bowler in the team.

Yes I think so they should play an extra bowler.

Manoj More: That means one batsman will have to be dropped. Had you been the captain,who you would have dropped?

Difficult to say,but I think it would be Yusuf Pathan. Because when he is batting at seven or eight and then bowling three or four overs then there is no meaning. Instead you should have a bowler who will bowl ten overs. Why I am saying this now is,because Ireland creates enough opportunities for the team to try out new players. If Ashwin bowls well,then they have another option for the next match.

Milind Dhamdhere: In spite of having so many trainers,the fitness levels of our players still is an issue?

Well everyone is fit,other than Nehra. It is much better than what it used to be during my days. Our fielding use to be pathetic. During our times we could make out who were the good fielders,now we can spot the bad fielders. That is the difference. There are so many formats now. They have Test cricket,then they have ODIs,and T20s. All this takes a toll on the bowlers. Especially the fast bowlers. It has all changed so much now.

Milind Dhamdhere: Do you think that the URDS has changed the place of the on-field umpires?

Well unless and until the system is foolproof you shouldn’t have it. It is a mega event you see. Have it for small tournaments.

Manoj More: Who are your favourites to reach the finals?

The finals… That is a difficult prediction to make. India will definitely be there in the last four,then anything can happen. Even though you are a good and strong side,on that day anything can happen. You need to play your best on that day.

Ishfaq Naseem: Do you think that the money in cricket will improve the talent?

No. I don’t think so. I think the talent part comes from practicing hard,money has nothing to do with it.

Kartikeya Ramanathan: There are a lot of of countries associated with the ICC,which is why the WC has 16 teams. But because of the criticism of the format,the next edition will have only ten teams. And therefore the associate members will not be able to participate. What do you think?

ICC is spending a lot of money on the development of the games so definitely there is more need for exposure for these associate nations. Currently 85 countries are affiliated to the ICC and they also have talent that is coming up. If they do not get a chance to showcase the same,the entire exercise is wasted. As of today the most popular game in the world is football. In order to popularise the same and globalise it other,teams need opportunities,too. Take the case of Sri Lanka. When we were playing they were a team that were beaten by any other team. But look at them now. They even won the World cup in 1996. So no one should be counted out.

Manoj More: There is this feeling in the Indian team that they should win this World Cup for Sachin. And the way he is going about,do you think he might even play next World Cup.?

Cheering for India or Sachin is one and the same thing. In fact even now when he comes to the club while he is not playing internationally he practises for five hours. That is the kind of determination that he has,and he is very fit. He has so much for the country and he still is the best. It won’t be a surprise if he plays in the next World Cup as well.

Pranav Kulkarni: Who do you think will take up the mantle after Sachin,Rahul Dravid and Laxman as far as test cricket goes?

A lot of good players are coming up. Yuvraj,Kohli,Raina,are all good players. Sachin in fact has a long way to go even now. You really cannot say that he is retiring anytime soon. He is still so good.

Manoj More: Was it a disappointment that you did not feature in many matches during the 1983 World Cup ?

It was. I was playing very well and then I got injured by that ball from Marshall. I got eight stitches on my chin and I still remember him when I shave. But at the end of the day they did select a winning term. Even though I was fit for the game,I think the team was above it all.

Sunanda Mehta: What is your most treasured memory of the 1983 win?

To be honest I don’t think we had a chance in ’83. Look at West Indies. They were the best in the world. We weren’t even dark horses to begin with. We lost two of our games just before the tournament. However after the first game against West Indies,which we won,we began looking at each match individually. Before every match we would say,’This is the last match’ and it was a different feeling when we made it to the final. In fact a lot of English supporters had bought the tickets for the final match assuming that England would make it. When they lost,it was a weird sight wherein the English supporters were trying to sell the tickets to Indians who wanted to buy it. On the day of the match about 100 Indians came and asked us to take them in for the match. We were in a fix given that we didn’t have any tickets. So when our bus made its way into the stadium,it was filled with 80 supporters who we smuggled into the stadium for the final. Winning the final itself was a different feeling. The president of the board announced that each team member would be awarding Rs 25000. It was a huge amount then.

Sunanda Mehta: Do you think that more money now has bought in more pressure into the game?

No I don’t think so. Yes there is a lot of money involved now but there really is no pressure. For players the ultimate motivation has always been playing for the country. Look at the IPL. It is pure entertainment and not cricket. It is just another format of the game. When ODI’s came in people began watching them because it was a new format. Now it is the T20’s that generate the funds.

Sunanda Mehta: How did you get the nickname Colonel?

That is a question that I do get asked a lot. I remember in ’75 when I was playing a match in Bombay,I was hitting the ball hard and scoring well. It Lala Amarnath who during his radio commentary remarked ‘He plays like Colonel Naidu’. After that,Col stuck with me.

Sushant Kulkarni: How did you start playing cricket?

In Mumbai,it was the only game that was played. Plus I came from Hindu colony,near Shivaji Parkr. Cricket was the only game that everyone played there. I was motivated by watching the people play and that is how I started

Pranav Kulkarni: About a career in cricket,do you think there is one?

There really is no career in cricket. It is always a question of the form. Players always need to focus on their cricket. But they also need to have good education.

Manoj More: Why do we not have fast bowlers like other countries,what do we lack ? And how was it facing famed West Indies bowling quartet?

I think it is the quality of wickets here. Baring a few wickets most of them are very poor. Compared to Pakistan we have an excellent system here in India but it is only that we do not have good wickets to get the necessary results. Facing fast bowlers in general was a difficult task and the West Indies bowlers were the best. In fact all teams back then would have four specialist fast bowlers.

Sushant Kulkarni: After you there have been not many cricketers who had a style like yours?

Style is never important in cricket runs are. I think Rahul Dravid had a great style when it comes to playing.

Sunanda Mehta: Has the match-fixing scandal changed the perspective of the game? Do you think that there is a possibility that the World Cup matches are fixed?

Dilip Vengsarkar: It hasn’t taken anything away from the game. The ones who were involved in the match-fixing were eventually punished. No one would do so in the Word Cup. The ICC is acting tough.

Kartikeya Ramanathan: Earlier on a score of 250 would be good enough to defend. Now even scores in excess of 300 are chased down easily. Your comment.

T20 has changed the way they score runs. In fact now anything can happen. It happened with the England-Ireland game too. England played so well,and yet they lost.

Pranav Kulkarni: Do you think the ticket row at Bangalore could have been avoided?

Yes. The best way is to go online with the ticket sale. At Mumbai at the ticketing booths a lot of barricades are installed to avoid such incidents..

Pranav Kulkarni: Do you miss that cheer,the lime-light,the asking of autographs?

I think I have had my moment. I don’t really miss anything now.

Manoj more: What would you term your career highlight?

The centuries at Lord’s are definitely high points.