Pakistan wicket-keeper Rashid Latif once had led a team with five former captains in the playing XI. In 1998, when he was named the skipper he got a squad that had Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Moin Khan, Aamir Sohail and Saeed Anwar — names that were as big as the present day Indian stars like Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly.Our correspondent spoke to Latif reliving his own days and offering a few words of wisdom for his fellow wicket-keeper and India’s new captain MS Dhoni. Excerpts:What is your advice to Mahendra Singh Dhoni?Dhoni has shown during the Twenty20 World Cup that he has a cool head and that is a sign of a good skipper. I would just say one simple thing to him — always go with a positive approach on the field and dare to take bold decisions. He shouldn’t go about asking for suggestions from everyone because he has that luxury at his disposal, simply because then he will have 3-4 options and his mind will be clogged. So you say that Dhoni should decide by himself?I am not saying that he shouldn’t listen to advice or suggestions if they come from seniors or fellow players, but at the end of the day it should be his decision, and not necessarily a collective decision for the sake of it. Suno sabki magar karo apni — Dhoni should always remember this mantra. Do you anticipate problems within the team with the presence of seniors?See, to tell you honestly, some problems will be there. As a player you have been close to the seniors and now suddenly you have to make your own decisions. Of course the seniors will extend their support but as a young skipper there’s always a fear lurking within you that the seniors might not perform to their true potential. What about the juniors in the side, how do they react?The challenge is to get the seniors’ support and also the respect of the juniors, who have faith in you. Also, with the kind of system that we had in Pakistan, the juniors never knew who to back because captains changed quite often. The youngsters were unsure if I was the man to be backed, because what if any of the seniors returned as skipper. How did you start dealing with a job like this?My first task was to build confidence amongst youngsters and ensure that the differences between the players — and there were many — were sorted out. Also, during team meetings I couldn’t point out anything to the seniors openly. So I often went to their rooms and talked to them separately, telling them what I felt about certain things and how they often needed to come up with more effort. Finally, what influence do you think Sachin, Sourav and Rahul will have on the team when they play under MSD? They are absolute gentlemen and I am 100 per cent sure that they have a lot to contribute to the team. I don’t think any one of them is struggling for personal form either and the important part is that I can’t see any bad vibes or even rumours like we have back home of any apparent rift. The main difference is that Sachin, Sourav and Dravid had voluntarily left the captaincy after enjoying their stint, rather than being sacked. Also, the players know these names will be around for a couple of years more, while Dhoni has a long future, so they know who to repose faith in. I wish all the best to this Team India under Dhoni.
