Having qualified for semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy by a hair’s breath, Punjab is now making its presence felt in the one-day format. And a large part of this success can be attributed to former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam, who took over the coaching of the side earlier this season. Alam, who went back to Lahore for a short visit, is back and, as he tells The Indian Express, eager for his team to go the full distance. Excerpts. • Punjab won their first few matches easily, but got into a corner towards the end. Why did that happen? Firstly, it is really wonderful to have qualified for the semi-finals. The credit goes to the boys. But now the ultimate goal is to reach the final and hopefully win it. About the tight matches against Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu, we badly missed a few players. First, Gagandeep Singh and then Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Mongia. We will be back in full force for the Ranji Trophy semi-finals. It will be a different ball game. • But you play Mumbai in Mumbai. That’s about as tough as it gets. Yes it is. But the greater the challenge the better it is. A good team always works hard to rise to the challenge. • What changes have you brought about in the Punjab boys? My job was to make them have faith in their abilities. The guts to believe in themselves. Of course we work very hard on individual skills. I try to instill a bond of togetherness in the team. • Anything particular that has made Reetinder Sodhi and Ravneet Ricky excel? It’s just that every player is given a task to do. I ensured that every player spelt out his problems. Each player has his own psyche and some are introvert. If one can understand them and make them involved, they feel free and perform. Not only Sodhi and Ricky, even Ankul Kakkar has stood out. • How important is the return of Harbhajan Singh? Have you talked to him about his bowling action? I haven’t talked about his bowling action. The ICC action is still pending and besides I don’t want to confuse him. I’m sure India coach John Wright is working on him. But I must say it was his batting that saw us through against Haryana the other day. • What would you say about Punjab’s run in the ODIs so far? We believe in playing the right combinations in one-dayers. The match against Delhi was crucial and I’m glad the team lived up to expectations.
