For Lillee, it146;s still the same

It8217;s late afternoon, well past the lunch hour, when Denis Lillee walks out from the MRF Pace Foundation after a two-hour-long extended video session with the class of 2008.

It8217;s late afternoon, well past the lunch hour, when Denis Lillee walks out from the MRF Pace Foundation after a two-hour-long extended video session with the class of 2008. As the driver waits to chauffeur him to his old haunt 8212; a suit at a five-star hotel 8212; Lillee spends some time with the pace academy8217;s old hands at the gate. The modest voice of a support staff member, on first-name basis with the Aussie legend, inquires about Denis8217;s son Dean and his granddaughters. As the conversation moves towards the flu in Perth, it8217;s easy to guess these aren8217;t jus t casual acquaintances.

It8217;s been 20 years since Lillee 8220;hit off instantly8221; with the late Ravi Mammen, a tyre manufacturer with a dream to add speed to Indian cricket8217;s bowling attack, and there is nothing to suggest that Chennai will stop being the Aussie8217;s second home in the near future. Lillee plays the local to the hilt as he speaks to the two physios from Griffith University in Brisbane 8212; one of the many high-profile sporting institutions that have an MoU with the foundation. He calls up one of his old wards and arranges an evening out for the two Aussie boys before boarding the car.

Big achievement
Within an hour, he is back at the ground. And before he joins the trainees at the net session, he sits down to talk about the project he took up as a 38-year-old. Twenty years later, at an age when most Indians turn pensioners, the aging pace guru still brings back memories of a bowler with never-ending requests for 8220;one more over8221; to his captains.

8220;I always look forward to coming to Chennai. I don8217;t do much coaching back home. And as long as I8217;m wanted, I will keep coming back.8221;

Lillee is aware of the BCCI8217;s decision to start a pace wing and the problems his star students might face in making regular trips to their old alumni, but he wishes to keep away from all that. 8220;That8217;s not my area of work. I know what I have done here is a big achievement of my career. It8217;s something that I am proud of,8221; he says.

The two factors that have made Lillee keep returning to the foundation for two decades is much more than a professional bonding he shares with the Mammen family and the anticipation of watching his trainees make it big. 8220;After Ravi, the next generation Mammens are involved full-time with the academy. Not just his brothers Vinoo and Arun, but Vinoo8217;s son Rahul has also ensured that nothing has changed for me,8221; says Lillee.

Thank you note
He goes on to speak about bowlers like RP Singh and Chaminda Vaas, who both seemed one of the boys when they first entered the academy. 8220;They showed the heart to bowl pace. Vaas wrote a long 8216;thank you8217; letter to me. I have it with me even now,8221; is a surprise sentimental confession of a man best remembered as the tearaway pacer with the red headband, who made batsmen shiver.

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That8217;s when the conversation gets interrupted as Lillee8217;s phone with the Aussie SIM card rings. He excuses himself and attends the long-distance call from the highly respected bowling coach Troy Cooley. As Lillee speaks to Cooley, it sounds like someone giving directions to his home to a first-time visitor. 8220;It8217;s Troy, he will be here soon with a few Aussie boys,8221; says Lillee as he sits down again with a slight groan. The career-threatening back injury that he famously fought over by sustained physiotherapy early in his career has made a late comeback. This once-defeated nemesis could be the only reason that could see the foundation being denied Lillee8217;s presence. 8220;The back is playing up again. I have a problem standing for long periods,8221; he says.

The backache notwithstanding, Lillee is up for a few more instances 8220;one more over8221;. The man with the smoothest approach to the stumps can mark the run-up for young pacers and even walk them till the national team8217;s dressing room. After that, it8217;s not his headache.

BCCI decision due to petty politics: Sekar

For someone who has had a 20-year-old association with the MRF Pace Foundation, TA Sekar feels strange not accompanying old friend Denis Lillee to the ground anymore. Sekar gets nostalgic about the days he spent with MRF, but is disgusted with the BCCI stand on not allowing its pacers to train at the pace foundation.

How8217;s life after the foundation?
It does seem different. But after 2004, when I saw four MRF trainees play for India at the same time, I thought I had achieved the goal for which the foundation was started. After that, I needed a new challenge.

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Will the BCCI8217;s proposed pace wing have an impact on the foundation?
It is very easy to say the NCA will have a fast bowling wing, but after one year, one has to see what the bowlers have to say about it. Besides, the BCCI is a very unpredictable body. It might change or it might continue taking the foundation8217;s help.

What about them not allowing players to train at the foundation?
That8217;s due to petty politics in the board. Previously, when the foundation was set up, the whole of north zone used to be adviced to stay away. Bowlers from Punjab didn8217;t want to come. This happened for a long time. But gradually, people realised they were getting inputs.

With someone like Lillee here, is it right to stop pacers from coming to him?
It is a well-known fact that Lillee is hot property when it comes to coaching pacers. He is something phenomenal. One look at the pacer and he can say where the problem lies. He gives very simple solutions to complex problems. Lets see who the BCCI gets for their pace wing.