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| Krish Srikkanth. (Getty Images) |
Calcutta: Chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth, himself a former captain, spoke to The Telegraph on Saturday afternoon.
Much of the telephonic interview centred around Gautam Gambhir, who is leading India in the ODIs against New Zealand. Match No.1 is on Sunday.
The following are excerpts
Q What made you and your colleagues zero in on Gambhir, last year itself, when he was named the stand-in vice-captain for the Champions Trophy?
A Now, now... That gets into the domain of selection matters. Let’s leave it aside.
But what are your thoughts as we speak...
I wish Gautam all the best... It is every player’s dream to captain his country and he’s about to realise it... I’m sure Gautam will do a good job... He’s done well for the Delhi DareDevils... He’s aware of the huge responsibility... Often, such responsibility makes one play better. In any case, Gautam has been doing well in the last two-three years.
Gambhir’s the serious type... Very focused, isn’t he?
Gautam is very sincere... Is knowledgeable... He’s smart, much in the manner of the present-day players.
What are your expectations from Gambhir?
Look, I’d rather talk about expectations from the team as a whole... I expect the team to do very well, take the series... As for Gautam, I expect him to motivate his players, particularly the younger lot... Expect him to perform as a leading batsman of the team...
Have you, at any time, spoken to Gambhir about captaincy?
No.
What goes into the making of a captain who can make a difference?
First, he needs to take complete responsibility for his actions... He must be able to motivate and should be in a position to take and implement important decisions... Obviously, he needs to carry the dressing room with him too.
Surely, there’s a list of dos and don’ts for captains...
I wouldn’t generalise, but talk of myself... I believed in going by my natural instincts and there were times when I took decisions based on what my heart said, not the mind... To others, those decisions may have seemed irrational... Crazy, perhaps.
Like?
(Laughs) When I sent in Chetan Sharma as a pinch-hitter in the 1989 Nehru Cup, against England... He remained not out on 101, at No.4, and helped us win that match in Kanpur. As you can see, the pinch-hitter concept was introduced by me!
[Sharma got those runs off 96 balls, with eight boundaries and one six.]
How did you approach the India captaincy on such a demanding tour to Pakistan, in 1989-90?
I took (all) the responsibility on my shoulders... I motivated youngsters like Sachin Tendulkar, who was then a rookie... I was open to suggestions from everybody, but the decisions eventually were mine... That’s how it should be... Listen to all, seniors and juniors, but be your own man.
[Despite the Test series being drawn, clearly an achievement while touring Pakistan in those days, the captaincy was taken away from Srikkanth and given to Mohammed Azharuddin.]
Were you too impressed with Imran Khan’s leadership in that series and before/after?
Imran remains one of the best captains I’ve seen in the past three decades or so... He led by example, both with bat and ball, and really enthused the younger members of his team. Imran was inspirational... One could see that.
Happy with regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni...
Dhoni has a lot of strengths... Is very cool and is able to stay that way even in tense situations... That’s a top quality to have... There are many seniors in the team, but he has handled the job well... In fact, I’d go to the extent of saying he’s been extraordinary.
Finally, any advice for Gambhir?
Play your natural game... And, of course, don’t worry.
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