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| Graham Ford, the new Team India coach,
in Chennai on Saturday. (PTI) |
Chennai: It was around
2.15 pm, after some hours of sleep following an early morning
check in on Saturday, that Graham Ford walked into the Taj
Connemara’s coffee shop. “Can I have some salad?”
he asked the hostess, almost in a whisper, before taking
a table which didn’t exactly keep him in public view.
That was, well, typical. While waiting to be served, Ford
interacted with The Telegraph for about 15 minutes.
The following are
excerpts
On
his thoughts
Right now, I’m trying to
relax... The past few days have been very hectic and I’ve
come off a long flight...
On being the frontrunner
for the Team India coach’s job
I wouldn’t like to comment...
It’s just nice that I’ve been invited... It’s
an honour... (After a pause) I don’t take things
for granted, though... I’m aware of the challenge,
let’s wait and see.
On arriving on the same
British Airways flight as ‘challenger’ John Emburey
(Grins) We didn’t speak on
the aircraft, but did have a chat while clearing immigration
and customs... John’s a friend and I’ve known
him for some years on the County circuit.
On Emburey
I see him as a friend... He’s
a very fine person and I’m sure he’ll do a good
job if he gets chosen... I realise that he has played a
lot of international cricket (64 Tests and 61 ODIs)...
On having the support
of, among others, captain Rahul Dravid
It’s pleasing... I’ve
always believed that the players should have a role in the
appointment of coaches... Don’t get me wrong, this
is not about player-power.
On one-time wards like
Shaun Pollock backing him in the strongest manner possible
(Smiles) You know, when
I was asked to leave (in 2002), I left the South African
team with strong relationships... Shaun and the others are
in the same hotel and, so, I could meet them once they return
from the match.
On his no-ego image
I’m a backroom person. I’m
comfortable with that image...
On the Pollocks being
unsure of what’s expected of him in India
At different times, different
teams need different coaches... It’s important for
the administrators to get it right... It’s critical...
The players, after all, are the ones who’ve got to
work with the coach.
Finally, on whether he’ll
be able to leave Kent almost overnight
I’ve got the County’s
support, but we haven’t discussed an early release
from my contract which, as you know, runs till September
2008... Depending on what happens tonight, I’ll begin
discussions (with Kent)... I’m sure the County won’t
stand in the way. |
