KKR’s been on a winning streak this season. You have been with the team from the last season. What’s changed?

Well, I think, the credit goes to the captain (Gautam Gambhir) and the coach (Dav Whatmore). The best thing about this team is that everybody wants to stick together. Obviously there’s no comparison ki pichhle saal team kaisi thi aur iss saal kaisi hai. Because the entire team is new. The boys are new, the leadership is new. And they only have one goal — they just want to win.

They know that their names are at stake and everyone has been performing. (Jacques) Kallis is there, Brett Lee is there, (Eoin) Morgan is there, Shakib is there. Hamare local ladke are playing so well. Manoj Tiwary has been excellent… he’s got the confidence going and he is enjoying the responsibility. Then you have (Lakshmipathy) Balaji bowling so well. When Jaidev (Unadkat) plays, he does well. Plus you have Iqbal Abdullah, Yusuf Pathan… And the bench boys are so strong. Young Sreevats (Goswami) is there, (M.S.) Bisla is there… in bowling (Pradeep) Sangwan and Shami (Ahmed) have a very bright future.

They all play in a way that it feels that Kolkata Knight Riders is a country team and not a club team. That’s an incredible feeling working with this team. I remember losing against Kochi the other day and the whole team simply stayed in their rooms and didn’t come out at all for the party where everyone was invited. They are so emotionally attached.

Your official designation is that of bowling coach but as the most experienced — and by far the best — cricketer in that dugout don’t you do much more?

I believe my actual job is that of a mentor. I don’t just talk about bowling. I discuss batting, I discuss fielding, I discuss team selection, talking to every boy individually on and off the field, giving them confidence and if they are struggling with their cricket, talking to them about their cricket. It’s a lot of talking, chatting them up, making them feel comfortable in the environment. And I must say here that the owners of the Kolkata Knight Riders have been of great help. They don’t get into cricket matters at all. It’s entirely up to me and the coach and Vijay (Dahiya) and the captain, whether it’s team selection or match strategy.

Wasim Akram at ITC Sonar Calcutta. Picture by Aranya Sen

When T20 started everyone was at a loss as to what is a good ball to bowl. Now after so much cricket has been played, have you been able to figure out a formula?

I think what pace bowlers need to do in T20 cricket is not just run up and bowl fast. It’s not about brute pace in T20, it’s about the variation. Slower balls work with both left-handers and right-handers, then you have yorkers on the off stump…. T20 is actually about how intelligent the bowler is! You have to assume as a bowler that the batsman is going to hit every ball that he will face. That’s where as a bowler you have to fancy your chances. If he is going to hit you, you can dismiss him. That is the confidence I give to my bowlers. They have to believe they can pick up wickets in T20 and not just save runs. The bowlers in Kolkata Knight Riders have improved a lot, they are enjoying their bowling and they all know what their respective jobs are.

How’s your rapport with Shah Rukh Khan?

I am quite friendly with him. We do hang out together after the game. It’s good to discuss cricket with him but it’s always general cricket. We never discuss team selection. Shah Rukh is, in fact, a very good motivator. He comes in once in a while for the team meetings and just speaks for half a minute or so. And he speaks about general motivation, not about any particular game or player. The team actually wants the owners to be around… they feel very comfortable. And that’s a very good sign.

Do you miss Sourav Ganguly — the man who brought you into Team KKR — in the dugout?

Obviously I miss him. He is a very, very dear friend of mine. He is one of the greatest captains India has ever produced. He is one of the greatest players India has ever produced. So, all respect to him as a cricketer and as a friend.... Yes, he was the main force behind me joining Kolkata Knight Riders. But there’s a time for everything. It’s time for the new KKR.

Whenever we talk about Wasim Akram, those two deliveries in the 1992 World Cup final flash across our minds, you castling Alan Lamb and Chris Lewis in back-to-back deliveries. Do you relive that moment anymore?

Not really. I know people talk about it. But I have moved on. I have gone into commentary, I have gone into KKR… I have two boys back home in Karachi. So I keep saying that I have 22 boys here and two boys there. When I come here, I worry about my sons there and when I am home, I worry about my boys here! It’s a great feeling. I am enjoying a lot this season. Last year, when I came in as a bowling coach or mentor, it was very new. But this year I think I have got the hang of it.

The other day in a poll on TV, almost 80 per cent viewers wanted you to make a comeback and bowl again!

(Laughs out loud.) I know… somebody was telling me. I was amazed that so many people think I should bowl. I have bowled to the boys in the nets. The first day I bowled, I couldn’t move for a whole week — because I hadn’t bowled for seven years! But there’s a time for everything. I had played cricket till I was 37.... I retired and I moved on.

Would you like to be a full-fledged coach like Dav?

I am enjoying my job here. I have been looked after very well. And I am glad I am in Calcutta. Because this is actually one of my favourite cities.

What makes Calcutta your favourite city?

This is a city where people love their sport. Not just cricket. They love their football. All the clubs I read about… Mohun Bagan, Mohammedan (Sporting), East Bengal… soccer is really massive here. And then there are the cricket clubs. I remember the 1987 tour here, 1989 matches here for the Nehru Cup and then in 1999, we played a Test here. I remember the 1987 one-day match very vividly when Salim Malik got 72 (off 36 balls) against India at the last minute. So, this city and this ground, the Eden Gardens… bahut saari memorable yaadein hain yahaan par.

You forgot the Bengali women and the Bengali food!

(Smiles) Bengali women I have hardly seen this year because I have hardly left the hotel! Yahaan se nikle hi nahin! But Bengali food, I have been to a restaurant in a home (Kewpie’s)…. A friend of ours, she took us there. I ate a lot… prawns and all… aur haathon se khaya. I wanted to have sole, jo machhli hai… maybe next time. I love the food here. My plan next time is to go to all the dhabas here and try each one of them.

Finally, what are KKR’s chances of winning IPL 2011?

I think we have a very, very bright chance. We have a leader who leads from the front. His cricketing brain can absorb everything. And all the players feel so much for the team. I am honoured to be part of this franchise and this bunch of boys. I am confident we can qualify for the semis and from there it’s anybody’s game. And yes, we are a good enough team to actually lift the cup.

If I could be a superhero, I would:

Make the ball invisible so that the batsmen wouldn’t see it when my players bowl.

The most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me:

It was a long time ago during our tour to India in 1989…. We were playing a three-day game and (Javed) Miandad, who was captain then, made me pad up and go out to bat only for me to realise that I wasn’t even in the playing XI! Miandad laughed his head off.

If I could ask for one talent, it would be: To be able to write.

For me, KKR means: After Pakistan, the closest to my heart. I feel for it and am proud and honoured to be a part of it.

For me, Calcutta means: The City of Joy, a lot of history, people who love sport and people who love and respect each other and have shown the same to me. Calcutta is one of my favourite cities in India.

The worst rumour I have read/heard about myself: Perhaps at the time my wife (Huma) passed away. The media was too intrusive and spread rumours about her death.

The cricket legend I would have liked to play against: Garfield Sobers, because like Jacques Kallis, he was one of the world’s best all-rounders.

If I wasn’t a cricketer, I’d be: Somewhere abroad, I suppose, working. I could have also been a pilot, as my dream as a child was to be one.

My diet tips: When I am in training I eat less carbs; when I’m not, I eat anything.

The most ridiculous New Year’s resolution I have made: I make a resolution every year but it works for just about a week!

My pets: We have two cats named Bark and Fluff — my boys named them — and a hamster named Hemptario.

My favourite place to visit: Cape Town. It is beautiful and the food is excellent. I love the idea of mountains and water together.

My song for all moods: Sadi gali from the movie Tanu Weds Manu.

Books I read: My wife was the one who actually put me on to reading and now I read anything!

My favourite book: I read a lot of James Patterson. The last book I read, however, was by Richard Branson.

My fitness regimen: I have been off it for a bit but I usually go to the gym in the morning and run in the evening.

My favourite Shah Rukh Khan film: Chak De! India.

Something you don’t know about me: I have nothing to hide…. I am an open book.

Music I listen to: I enjoy all kinds of Hindi and Urdu music.

Movies I like: I don’t see many Indian movies, but I do see some Hollywood ones with the kids. I see romantic and action movies. In fact, watching movies is a kind of stress-buster for me.

Gadgets I cannot do without: I am not a gadget freak. I am okay with just a BlackBerry or a simple phone.

Pratim D. Gupta

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