On India’s chances in the World Cup

It’s impossible to tell and I don’t have a crystal ball... I can’t predict, but we’ve got as good a chance as most teams... I’m of the view that any of the eight seeded ones could take the trophy... Till a couple of weeks ago most would have thought Australia were outright favourites, but Andrew Symonds’ injury has changed that. In fact, the injury has thrown open the World Cup... The toss, I guess, could make a difference as also the ability to create opportunities and take advantage. What’s certain is that no match can be taken lightly... Bangladesh beat Australia less than two years ago... England beat Australia to win the just-ended tri-series... As a first step, we want to make the semi-finals. From then on, it will be a different ball game and no team is guaranteed anything.

[If Symonds’ injury wasn’t bad enough for Australia, Friday’s development is that the fast and furious Brett Lee could miss the World Cup...]

On there being no surprise in India’s 15-man squad

(Grins) It’s the squad India wanted... There were options, but only time will tell whether selection being on expected lines is a good thing or not. All 15 must see themselves as frontline players, for if you go into a World Cup relying on key players alone, then you’re dead.

On whether having toured the West Indies last summer is going to be an advantage

Maybe, may not be... It will be if conditions are the same as last year when most wickets were slow and low... Having said that, the team that does well on the day is the one which will win... It’s about the quality and intensity of play over the 100 overs.

On Team India’s performance in the recent series against the West Indies and the ongoing one versus Sri Lanka

We’re playing better than in South Africa... The balance is definitely better, but the team generally plays well at home. However, what we’ve done in the last six ODIs isn’t necessarily going to have a bearing on the World Cup. (After a pause) Yuvraj (Singh) being in form is going to make a big difference... When in form, he’s one of the best in the world... He’s superb in the middle stages and the 30-40 overs period is going to be crucial... Teams which play well there will have the best chance of progressing.

On the composition of India’s attack in the World Cup

Three seamers will almost surely play in every match... Ideally, we would like to field five bowlers, but that may not be possible... Our advantage is that we’ve got three top-order batsmen (Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj) who bowl more than adequate spin. Spinners could decide quite a few matches.

On Dravid’s comment that “we’ve got to be smart with the placement of certain fielders” and whether he’s concerned that the quality of our fielding may not be high

Concern isn’t too strong a word, it’s probably not strong enough! To be frank, there’s no doubt we’re going to concede runs to the better teams... We knew that when the squad was picked and we’ve got to organise ourselves accordingly. We’ve got to place men in positions to get the best out of them... I expect a few medium-scoring (below 200) matches and, so, runs will have to be saved and we’ve got to try and keep improving. To get over our weakness on the field, the batsmen must find 30 extra runs... If some feel we’ve got a Dad’s Army, then I can’t do anything about it. The positive side is that no team has our experience. I would like to look at that.

On whether Sourav Ganguly’s exceptional catch to dismiss Sanath Jayasuriya in Goa lessens his worry somewhat

If the concern is that we may give away 30 runs in every match, then we’ve got to look at ways to bring that down to 10... Such catches will help.

On the possibility of Sehwag getting to regularly open with Sourav

He’s a proven matchwinner at the top of the order and if he’s in form, that’s where he will do the maximum damage. That’s the ideal situation, but flexibility is going to be the name of our game. The best XI will largely depend on form. Bottomline is that we’ve got to get the key players in form at the right time... It’s going to be a delicate act... I’m happy we’ve got the balance which gives good flexibility. Some weeks back, we were less sure about certain things. Except for Veeru and Yuvraj, the other batsmen are in form and we’ve got a formidable line-up. A lot of teams would like to have the experience of our top six (Sourav, Sehwag, Sachin, Yuvraj, Dravid and Mahendra Singh Dhoni — they’ve played a mind-boggling 1,368 ODIs and scored an awesome 46,301 runs)... Actually, we need all 15 to be in form as one never knows who can get injured. Keeping all fit is going to be a challenge. Key players, particularly, will have to be managed very well.

On Sachin getting a middle-order slot

He has the talent, the experience and has the creativity... Sachin has the mind to deal with different situations... To have someone with the experience of almost 400 ODIs in the middle-order is terrific... Initially, he was a bit reluctant to take on this role at this stage in his career... He needed a few matches to settle down and has done very well. I spoke to Sachin the other day (about his changed role) and he said he was feeling more comfortable with each day... Personally, I would like him at No.4 and, today, we’ve got a more dimensional batsman if we need him back at the top... At this stage, I’m not unduly worried about his back problem. Hopefully, his form and fitness will hold throughout the World Cup.

On Dinesh Karthik

He has come from a long way back... I think he’s going to have an important role in the World Cup and beyond... If people think he’s a wicketkeeper who bats, then they’ve got it all wrong. Karthik is a batsman who ’keeps... I’ve been impressed from the time I first saw him at a camp in Bangalore... He’s a thinking cricketer and took my advice that he should mould himself as a batsman who ’keeps... I’ve always seen him as an investment and it’s a huge bonus that he ’keeps. Karthik has taken the limited opportunities very well and gives us options.

On first-choice ’keeper Dhoni

Oh, he’s one of the most improved cricketers anywhere in the past 12 months... He has worked hard on his batting... His ’keeping... Dhoni is one of our key players... In fact, there are some who are more so and he fits that category. Not too long ago, he was seen as somebody would blaze away at the end of the innings. Now, he’s a quality middle-order batsman.

On the difference mental toughness can make in tournaments such as the World Cup

The mental side is a critical area in cricket... The better state that you’re in mentally, the better your chances of succeeding... All teams will be under pressure and the ones which handle the stress of a World Cup better are the ones which will do well... India reached the final of the last edition and must have handled the pressure well. Losing in that final (to Australia) wasn’t a failure... Simply getting there, I would say, had been a success. But, then, what happened four years ago will become irrelevant when we start the 2007 campaign (March 17, against Bangladesh).

On whether Sourav and Zaheer Khan’s comeback signalled the failure of his looking-ahead policy initiated in late 2005

If somebody looks at it that way, then the person has no idea what he’s talking about. Blooding youngsters was part of the development programme and they haven’t been failures... If you want to win, you’ve to keep developing players... It’s a process... The one who has come under the most criticism is Suresh Raina... Well, if you look at his (ODI) record and compare it with Sachin’s at the same stage in his career, you won’t find a difference... Nobody walks into international cricket as a complete product... They need opportunities... Yes, there were a few senior players who needed to be dropped for them to reassess and return stronger... They have... One of the dangers of fielding the same players match after match is that you end up with a lost generation... If some don’t get opportunities at the right time, they’re lost forever. I’m convinced that the pressure of younger players knocking on the door has been good for the older ones. I don’t think we would have been in the position we’re in if we didn’t do the things we did in the last 21 months. I strongly defend what we’ve done... Nothing has been a failure... Everybody got opportunities for the right reasons; everybody got left out for the right reasons... If I may add, VRV Singh is as good a cricketer as Craig McDermott was when he first played for Australia... Or Merv Hughes... Or Carl Rackemaan... Nobody comes in and takes the world by storm.. If somebody does, he probably has a setback sooner rather than later... Please remember that the need to develop players never stops... A cricket team is never complete, it’s a work in progress. You can only go backwards if you stop looking at it that way. Indian cricket will be stronger by what happened in the last 21 months... Much of the critical comment came with an agenda and if you only look at wins and losses, you’re missing half the story... No cricketer, after all, develops by sitting on the sidelines.

On whether he expected the 34-year-old Sourav to make such a splendid comeback

I hope he keeps improving... Even 17 months ago in Zimbabwe, he had three-fours years ahead of him but, at that point, wasn’t in the right place mentally... He needed to go away and, then, come back stronger... Sourav has done that and though batsmen are at their peak from the age of 27 to 33-35, there’s no reason why his career can’t go on for some time... He will only stop improving if he stops striving... He has improved his batting, his fielding, his fitness... I’ve never seen Sourav fitter... The manner of his comeback hasn’t surprised me for I knew he had the ability. The question was whether he could... He had to do what he did, nobody else could have done it for him... Sourav does have a fantastic record and having somebody like him in the squad is wonderful for the balance. If we hadn’t taken the decision (to drop him) when we did, I don’t think he would have been back in time for the World Cup.

On Sreesanth being more effective in Test cricket

I don’t know why the Media has got after him... Believe me, he can bowl in limited overs cricket, it’s just that his personality is probably more suited for Tests... Sree is developing... He’s only 24, but I would rather have somebody I have to pull back than somebody whom I have to keep pushing and motivating. The Media should leave him alone... I’m not convinced he won’t play an important role for us in the World Cup. He has come through in leaps and bounds and I’ve been most pleased with his development as a person and a cricketer. Remember that he’s an exceptional kid... For me, he has been a success story... Occasionally he has fallen over and we’ve had to pick him up and dust him, but more often than not he has met the team’s high requirements. For him to take the occasional two steps back isn’t a bad thing, for he has taken 10 forward... That he has coped so well shows character and resilience. Sree has the ability to visualise the future... He’d been dropped for the Champions Trophy because he needed to be dropped... He needed to learn lessons and he did... (After a pause) In India, the pressure on somebody who gets dropped is enormous. Cricket, in any case, is so tough on the mind... The one sport which comes close is golf... In India, a tough sport becomes tougher for the cricketer who gets dropped... An RP Singh, for example, is a good kid... He got dropped because he’s going through the process of development and will emerge stronger...

On his stand in selection committee meetings

If you hide behind statistics, then you’re going to make mistakes... That you’ve got to look beyond statistics... When a bowler is up for selection, look at the opportunities he creates, not just the wickets. Look at the talent.

On whether Dravid’s leadership will make a difference in the World Cup

Strong and creative leadership will be important... Teams which are led well are definitely going to do well... He’s learning all the time... By and large, Rahul’s captaincy has been very good... Of course, there are times when captains run out of ideas...There have been days when we’ve sat down and he has admitted he could have done a better job, but like it is for batsmen and bowlers, captains also learn from mistakes... Flexibility with bowling changes and field placements will be important in the World Cup... I have no doubt that Rahul’s leadership will serve us well... Like any captain, though, he’s going to be limited by how his players perform... They could, on the odd day, let him down... I believe Rahul will have to lead by example in every manner. Not just him, every captain will have to be more creative and flexible than they’ve ever been... The World Cup is going to demand that.

On his 21 months as coach

A coach, too, has limitations... It has been toughest for me... The coach’s job in India is probably the biggest fish bowl of them all, but I’m glad I’ve had this experience... (After a pause) Given the amount of cricket, we may soon need separate teams and coaches for Tests and ODIs... Both need to get away from it all and reflect... To come back refreshed... A coach needs a break in order to say something different month after month... The calendar, as it is now, isn’t allowing that... I doubt if Sachin could have played for 17-18 years if his career had started a year or two ago... The fast bowlers’ careers will be halved from ten years... Players will burn out at 27, not 35. This Indian team is playing around 30 per cent more cricket than most (top) teams...

Finally, on whether he will continue with Team India after the World Cup

I can’t say... I know as much as you probably do... Right now, I’m thinking about the World Cup.