‘Money’s like manure, it’s not good until it’s spread’

I don’t think the Indian board has the vision to think on these lines. However, it will be a good idea for the team to reach South Africa 2-3 weeks in advance to get into the groove.

• Why have we failed to produce spinners after Bishen Singh Bedi and BS Chandrasekhar?
Raj Walia

The influx of ODIs has had a dramatic impact on the approach towards the modern game. Spinners now bowl mostly in a defensive mould; gone are the days when a spinner could flight the ball and entice the batsmen. If he concedes eight runs in an over the captain will look to change him.

As for India not producing bowler-friendly pitches, I am really baffled as to why a board which is loaded with money, (I always say they are like a vessel which leaks from the top) has failed to address such an important aspect of Indian cricket. Money is like manure, it is no good until spread. What would it take to make 10-15 evenly competitive pitches in India?

• Your ‘Sidhuisms’ have become famous all over the world. Will you be coming out with a compilation—with a foreword written by Geoffrey Boycott?
George J Coelho

Fame and adulation comes by the grace of God. I feel dwarfed by mere comparisons with such greats. Though there have been several offers to write a book, I have shelved the idea for now. Whenever it gets published, the context in which I set my ‘Sidhuism’ will be the most important aspect of the book.

Having Geoffrey write the foreword is a great idea. He’s one of the best commentators in world cricket and I have adored him for his forthright attitude and ability to call a spade a spade. Such personalities are indeed rare.

• One of our biggest problems is our inability to produce fast bowlers. Do we have a programme for this? Do we have fast pitches to support their training?
Rajev Shah

We are bred on dead-as-dodo pitches; fast bowling potential may exist in villages or on the streets but the perennial problem exists because we also lack proper talent-tapping schemes. Unlike Pakistan, any genuine quick bowler in India has to go through the rigour of the domestic circuit. Their fast bowlers have come up because nobody dares to change their style while in India, the originality is moulded and tampered. Sandeep Sharma and Rajinder Ghei are good examples.

I think the pitches in Mumbai and Mohali are probably the only ones providing congenial conditions for fast bowling.

• Being an opener yourself, what is one advice you can give Wasim Jaffer?
Satish Panicker

He has failed to adapt to seaming conditions because in India the ball does not deviate and it’s easy to play on the up. Because of the extra movement in English conditions, one has to look to go forward to nullify the swing and play as late as possible and as close to the body. Jaffer, on the other hand, has been wooden-legged and failed to negotiate the swing on the front foot. He is just reaching for the delivery rather than allowing the ball to come to him and playing it late. He is also playing too far away from the body. But he is too good a talent to fail for a long time.

• Would you coach the Indian team if offered the job?
NS Hosamani, Silvassa, Dadra Nagar & Haveli

The word ‘if’ calls for a lot of speculation. But I won’t shirk if I’m
offered any responsibility for the betterment of Indian cricket. I have
always been very passionate about Indian cricket and I would be failing
in my duty if I don’t give something back to the game. So far, though,
I haven’t received any offer.

• Being an opener yourself, what is one advice you can
give Wasim Jaffer?
Satish Panicker

He has failed to adapt to seaming conditions because in India the ball
does not deviate and it’s easy to play on the up. Because of the extra
movement in English conditions, one has to look to go forward to nullify
the swing
and play as late as possible and as close to the body.

Jaffer, on the other hand, has been wooden-legged and failed to negotiate
the swing on the front foot. He is just reaching for the delivery rather
than allowing the ball to come to him and playing it late. He is also
playing too far away from the body. But he is too good a talent to fail
for a long time. He just needs to finetune his game.

• What is the reason for the recent poor performance
of the Indian openers overseas? Indian openers today are clueless about
swing bowling. They don’t last even for half an hour against quality pace.
Allan Lazrado

To be a reasonably good opening batsman, one has to be technically sound,
know where the off stump is and most importantly, possess the innate grit.
The focus should be on playing with patience and wearing out the attack.
But
the Indian selectors have tinkered with so many openers on the basis of
their domestic performances. Their number are too many who get selected
on the basis of huge scores in the domestic circuit but are found wanting
in alien conditions.

Our A team is touring a lot these days and we need to pick our openers
from amongst them and they should be given a long stint. Make shift openers
are also not going to be a long-lasting solution for a openers’ psyche
is in-built from the embryonic stage.

• Should India move to 5 batsmen-5 bowlers and 1 wicketkeeper
combination to have ay realistic chances of winning Test matches abroad?
Today we have 6 batsman, 1 ‘keeper and 4 bowlers which seem to backfire
in Test matches with the bowlers tiring out after 90 overs and seemingly
incapable of taking 20 wickets for less than 600 runs.
Janardhan

Theoretically, it is the quality of the Indian bowling and not the quantity
which will make things happen. The Aussies have always played four bowlers
and all of them are match winners in their own right whereas the Indian
can
play six bowlers but do they have the ability to bowl the opposition out?

The question is not of quantity but of quaity and ability. And at the
moment we don’t have an attack which has penetration to bowl out an opposition.
Our spinners are rendered impotent in alien conditions, they take wicket
at 42
apiece which is not good enough to influence matches.

We haven’t won a series for 16 long years and with the toothless bowling
and the paucity of resources, we might be heading for a silver jubilee.