The Assam Ranji Trophy captain owns up to the state?s relegation from elite to plate group and, by doing so, the wicketkeeper-batsman made a strong case. Syed Zakaria Zuffri is man enough to admit his faults, mature enough to shoulder responsibility and wise enough to stay off controversies. A lot of these traits may be traced back to his idol, Australian legend Allan Border.

The 29-year-old skipper fits into several descriptions ? diplomatic, ambitious, street-smart, suave, selfish, introvert, obedient, indecisive.

Zakaria spoke to Umanand Jaiswal over phone from Jaipur where he is playing in the inter-railway championship.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q. Who is responsible for the demotion of Assam from elite to plate group?

A. Who else but me. Since I led the team in the middle, I am responsible.

Q. What about the role of coach Dinesh Nanavati and the team you got?

A. No comments.

Q. Did the ACA back you? Is it true that you are a yes-man?

A. Definitely or I would not have been captain for the entire season. Secondly, I represent the ACA, which is like a parent to us. To succeed we need to work as a team. If that makes me a yes-man, so be it.

Q. Would you take the responsibility of leading the team next season?

A. If offered the post, why not? There will be no greater challenge than leading the team back to the elite group. It is big blot on the CV and I would like to remove it as soon as possible.

Whether I get the post or not, we should start planning for next year from now on if we have to make an impact.

Q. Would you like to be a part of the selection process?

A. No, but if asked I would offer my suggestions.

Q. Did we deserve to be in the elite group?

A. Certainly not considering the way we played. But compared to a few teams we should have been there. Though demotion is bad for the team and individual players, it may be a blessing in disguise to put our house in order by fixing the problems we encountered in the elite group and return stronger and meaner.

Q. Have you done an analysis for the debacle?

A. We didn?t click as a team. The batsmen scored but during crisis situations. There was just one five-wicket haul (R.K. Yadav). Another reason was that our fast bowlers got carried away on grassy and bouncy pitches. By the time they adjusted their line and length, it was too little too late. The batsmen, too, could not adjust to the fast pitches. This we have to correct since we are paid professionals.

Q. What about your performance?

A. It was better than last year but we should have scored more runs and batted long. Looking back, I should have batted three down and not first. In most matches I hardly had time to catch my breath, literally. I played but not long enough. It has nothing to do with fitness. Even Gilchrist (Adam) comes in at 6 or 7 in Tests, though he opens in the one-dayers. If I had dropped down I could have paced my innings better.

Q. Did we miss Kiran Powar?

A. I will not say so, but yes we missed a specialist number three.

Q. Any other reason?

A. Most of our players lack self-belief. Most of the teams had present or former internationals in their ranks. The ACA had started a meditation course this year that helped. But we need prolonged sessions, even during the off-season, with a psychologist or motivator.

Q. What about picking up newcomers next season?

A. We need newcomers, but rushing newcomers will not solve the problem. We need to set a benchmark where talent is backed by performance. A Ranji cap has to be as hard as the national berth. Once a player is included he should be given a reasonable chance to prove his mettle.

Q. Do we need outstation recruits?

A. Yes, till we have our own players. But I would suggest they should play in domestic tournaments here. It enhances quality and competition. This edition of the Bud Challenge Cup is an indication. The inclusion of R. Satish and V. Saravanan (Assam Ranji recruits from Tamil Nadu) motivated the home players to do well.

Q. Suggestions are pouring in after the debacle. What would you like most?

A. Appointment of a travelling selector, like Tamil Nadu, Mumbai and Hyderabad had done. The person travelling with the team knows the need of the team and can get a first-hand view of a player?s form and attitude. It really helped when Anup Ghatak travelled with the team on the exposure trip last season.

Q. What is the other change you would like?

A. Immediate introduction of an office league by the ACA. Unless we have one, cricket will not improve at the desired rate. This will not only infuse professionalism, competition, besides opening job opportunities. Chennai has the best league in the country and I can say with certainty that they will be the team to beat in another five years. Our juniors should explore possibilities of playing there.

Q. The juniors who have impressed you most?

A. Three in particular. Openers Pervez Aziz and Jason Lamare and middle-order bat Gokul Sharma. They now need pile on the starts they get. Mrigen Talukdar also played well in the one-dayers. A close watch should also be kept on few others like wicketkeepers Kumal Saikia, Amjad Ali, batsman Shiv Sankar Roy and medium-pacer Abu NaschimAhmed.

Q. Who has been the best Assam coach?

A. It?s got to be Laloo (Lalchand Rajput). The best we had. He knew his job and got the best out of everyone. The other coach who impressed me most was former Railways trainer Venkat Sundaram.

Q. Are you happy with the way your career has shaped?

A. Yes and no. Yes for having lasted so long. I have never been dropped since debuting for Assam in 1992 and Railways in 1994-98. No, for not scoring enough runs. Secondly, in one season I got around 450 runs and 30 victims playing for Railways, the best by any keeper that season. But my performance hardly got the acknowledgement it deserved.