Sachin Tendulkar re-asserted his view that there is need for a consensus in team selection and that the national coach and captain should have full say in team selection. This adds firepower to Greg Chappell, who has been, nowadays allowed to express his views strongly at meetings.After the drawn first Test at the MA Chidambaram, the maestro spoke to The Indian Express in the cool confines of his hotel room, away from the choking security and fans.The following are excerpts:• After scoring more that 20,000 internationals runs and hardly any record left for you to achieve, what keeps you going?• I always love this game and it is something which I always enjoy doing. Once you are enjoying out there in the middle you don’t actually need any other source of motivation. Because playing cricket itself is a huge satisfaction and you know when you are playing for India makes it more special.• There were times when Sunil Gavaskar asked his Mumbai teammates like Raju Kulkarni to bowl from 18 yards to play the West Indian quicks. You too once made L. Sivaramakrishnan bowl to you in the nets in 2001 to counter Shane Warne. Are there any ways that you prepare before a major tour?• At that stage I did it with the help of Sivaramakrishnan and a few others spinners because I hadn’t faced anything round the wicket from mid-off till then. I just wanted to practise and check it out what other shots I could play.• You and Sunil Gavaskar are tied on 34 Test tons. People believe once you get to the 35th ton, the pressure will reduce.• If you look at it, probably a Test in Bangaladesh and perhaps three more, I have been without a Test century, in four Test matches. Everyone wants it (35th ton) to happen quickly. People talk about it. But as far as I am concerned I don’t want to think about it. I just want to go out and play.• You have played under captains like K. Srikkanth, Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly and now Rahul Dravid. Who was the best?• All of them have had different styles. I think Ravi Shastri was a very good captain. Sandeep Patil was also an excellent captain in domestic cricket.• Coming to your own captaincy, you always gave more than 100 per cent and you demanded the same from the players also.• (That) is a closed chapter for me. I thought about the whole thing and that was why I stepped down. As far as I am concerned it is a closed chapter for me.• There is talk that the captain and the coach should have a vote in the selection process. Are you for it?• I think yes, the captain and the coach should have a say because they both sit together and choose the playing eleven. So it is important that they should be able to put in their views.• Taking about the 2001 series against Australia, Shane Warne said you gave him nightmares like dancing down the pitch to hit him.• I did not do anything intentionally. I just saw the ball and hit. I did not want to attack him more than anyone else, it wasn’t like that. I just saw the ball and I played.• Sponsors rush only to promote cricket. The Indian hockey team for the Champions Trophy was given poor accommodation where even a Ranji Trophy side would not stay. What is your message to other sports bodies?• I think the message to other sports bodies is that BCCI is a prime example of marketing the sport and looking after the players. It is important for other sporting bodies to follow that. BCCI has become a benchmark. Everyone is trying to get to that (level). I am sure that with sincere effort they will also do this.
