John Buchanan

Calcutta: The Kolkata Knight Riders’ coach, John Buchanan, spoke to The Telegraph on Saturday evening, some hours after returning from Mumbai. He leaves for home on Monday night.

The following are excerpts from the one-on-one

Thoughts almost a week after the end of the Knight Riders’ campaign in the IPL

Looking back is probably easier sometimes when one is totally removed from the scene… One has had time to look back, though… Some of the obvious things have come to mind… That our top-order needed to click… That we’ve got to have the right balance… That if some of the players aren’t available for a period of time, then we need the right back-up… That’s a top lesson we’ve learnt from this year… We had to try many opening combinations once (Brendon) McCullum left and (Chris) Gayle got ruled out through injury…

Whether, as coach, he could’ve done something better

One can always get better, but I don’t think I could’ve done anything more which would’ve made a significant difference… Nothing which would’ve made a major difference… Not making the last-four gave us the time and opportunity to sit back and reflect… I could’ve left for home straightaway, but didn’t.

The review, at owner Shah Rukh Khan’s behest, earlier this week in Mumbai

The thrust, really, was that there’ll be continuity… Shah Rukh and (co-owner) Jay Mehta are in it for the long haul… The aim is to establish long-term relationships, within the franchise and with the sponsors… I’m pleased to be part of the process… The setting up of the Knight Riders’ Academy is pretty much at the top of the agenda… Going forward, the review has made me more confident.

Buzz that Sourav Ganguly (leading scorer for the Knight Riders) may not keep the captaincy

At this moment, there’s no ‘yes’ and there’s no ‘no’ either to your question… Like the other players, Sourav is also under review… I don’t know why this keeps coming up, but Sourav and I haven’t had problems… I’ll be meeting him before I leave and I’ll have a chat about Twenty20 cricket and his role.

Whether he’ll be advising Sourav, who has again been overlooked for ODIs, to focus on Test cricket

It’s not for me to advise him… At the end of the day, the decision has to be taken by Sourav himself… I’m sure he’ll be speaking to the right people before making up his mind…

The uncertainty over Shoaib Akhtar

A lot of things need to be clarified… With so much to clear, generally, I wouldn’t like to talk of individuals.

The possibility of a tie-up between the Knight Riders and Queensland Cricket (QC)

It hasn’t been finalised, but I’m looking at arrangements both with QC and the University of Queensland… In fact, on the cards is a trip to Queensland by 13-14 players in September-October… Besides the younger players contracted to the Knight Riders, I’m looking at including some U-19s from outside Bengal and also those who’ll be coming out of one-year contracts with the other franchises… The ones who could turn out for the Knight Riders next year… This process has begun, but will take time.

If there’s a lesson to learn from the success of teams like the Rajasthan Royals

They had a few things going for them… A settled opening pair, firepower in the first three or four positions… Strike bowlers and at least one allrounder…

Anything else to be learnt from the IPL’s inaugural edition

That one good year in the IPL or one bad year in the IPL, individually or collectively, doesn’t make for an IPL has-been or an IPL success story.

The failure of a power-packed team like the Deccan Chargers

The franchise owners definitely have something to learn, but it’s not for me to comment. On paper, the composition of the Deccan Chargers wasn’t much different from that of the Rajasthan Royals or even the Kings XI Punjab... So, obviously, there have been other reasons for failure…

If there’s a perfect combination for Twenty20 cricket

Well, what has been seen is that if you have wickets in hand at the end, then almost anything can be achieved in the last three overs or so… Of course, you do need specialist bowlers for making inroads… Quick bowlers who can make use of the bounce… Wrist-spinners too… A quality allrounder is also needed.

Whether the Knight Riders have sought a clarification from the IPL regarding the trading of players next year

We’re waiting to hear from the IPL… Transfers, releases… In looking ahead, we need to be clear about all that…

His top three players in the IPL

Shane Watson (Rajasthan Royals): He hits the ball correctly, long and hard… I don’t think any bowler felt confident bowling to him… He has, at times, steadied the ship and then accelrated… Then, he’s been very effective with the ball… He’s been an impact-bowler.

Sohail Tanvir (Rajasthan Royals): Outstanding… Has the ability to swing the ball at the top of the innings and at the end… Has a good change of pace and can bowl yorkers… For me, he’s been a revelation.

Shaun Marsh (Kings XI Punjab): Consistent and made a difference… It’s nice that he finally got a hundred the other day (115, against the Rajasthan Royals)… He’s a fine fielder too.

Finally, what could be his thoughts as he clears immigration on Monday night

(Smiles) They’ll certainly be pleasant… I came here knowing I was getting into something completely different… That there could be a complete lack of success or that I could be successful… I’ll be leaving having learnt something about the Twenty20 game, having learnt something about Calcutta… Having learnt about the franchise… I’ll be coming back at regular intervals… At this point, though, I’m not sure whether it’ll be once a month or once every two months.