Narendra Hirwani

Indore: Even after his record-scripting Test debut, against the West Indies at the Chepauk 18 years ago, Gorakhpur-born Narendra Hirwani continued to stay in just one room at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here. Now, of course, he has a bungalow of his own and many in his locality are eager to guide you there. Despite that phenomenal start, Hirwani didn’t get to play more than 17 Tests (66 wickets) and 18 (ODIs). Earlier this year, at the age of 37 and with almost 750 first-class wickets under his belt, he announced retirement. He still plays for Air India and is considering post-retirement options that will please wife Namita and their kids (Mihir, Anushka) as well. On Friday afternoon, Hirwani spoke to The Telegraph for over an hour...

Following are excerpts

Q After having battled for so long, what made you quit?

A I’d reached the stage where the hunger had gone... The enjoyment wasn’t there... The motivation, too, had gone... Then, I’d already put in 23 years... Aur aadmi kitna khele ga?

Did you leave with bitterness?

Being bitter doesn’t help... But, yes, I remain disappointed that I wasn’t allowed to serve the country for more than 17 Tests and 18 ODIs... Many players were given the chance to pass, I wasn’t even given the chance to fail! My last India appearance was almost a decade ago (second Test versus South Africa, at the Eden)...

Strangely, you’re still training...

(Laughs) That’s because I wish to set up a coaching centre, in Indore itself, and want to stay fit... If I’m not, I won’t be able to demonstrate the nuances... I run, swin and do weights at the Yeshwant Club and, in the evenings, bowl for an hour at the Cricket Club of Indore.

You were recalled for the first Test against Australia, in 2000-01, but didn’t make the XI. What happened?

I still don’t know... Both Sourav (Ganguly) and (John) Wright told me in the pre-series camp (Chennai) that I would play... Sourav even said I would play all three Tests... Instead, I got dropped despite not getting a chance... So many spinners were tried in that series... Sairaj Bahutules and the Nilesh Kulkarnis... However, they simply discarded me.

Didn’t Sourav or Wright speak to you after that?

Sourav hasn’t, perhaps out of embarrassment... As for Wright, I met him in Leeds during India’s 2002 tour of England and, while saying ‘sorry’, added that I should keep myself ready when the West Indies toured later that year. Nothing happened.

Your mentor, Sanjay Jagdale, was a national selector from 2000-04 ? in fact, he’s back in the same role. Didn’t you ever talk to him about that raw deal?

I couldn’t raise such an issue with my guru... He never told me anything and I didn’t ask either. (After a pause) If I remember correctly, I got as many as 79 first-class wickets in the 2002-03 season, yet the selectors didn’t look at me... I had to lose motivation... There are two types ? those who play to make money and those who play because they’re hungry to either score or get wickets... I was in the latter category.

Did the rise of Anil Kumble, who made his India debut two years after you did, affect your career?

I wouldn’t say so... Correct me if I’m wrong, but I got wickets even when both of us played together... The XI must comprise the best and the best could include two leg-spinners or two off-spinners... In any case, we were different bowlers... I was more conventional and would tempt batsmen to go after me, while Kumble still relies on accuracy... He frustrates batsmen.

Don’t you agree Kumble hasn’t got the recognition he deserves? That some have unnecessarily been harping on his ‘failure’ to spin appreciably?

Kumble is an absolute great... Log bekaar ki baat karte hain... Even if he doesn’t spin the ball as much as some others, give him credit for taking over 500 Test wickets with minimum spin... He doesn’t offer a loose ball and the batsmen end up making mistakes... Appreciate what he has done for India, not pick on a so-called shortcoming.

Shouldn’t Kumble be playing one-day cricket as well?

I agree with you... He’s always going to be an asset because he’s so disciplined with line and length and batsmen have to take a chance... Then, don’t forget Kumble wants to play ODIs... He’s hungry and, in my opinion, must be part of our 2007 World Cup squad. Indeed, the selectors should pick him for the five ODIs in the West Indies this summer, too. We do need him in the ODIs as well.

What has been the relationship between the two of you?

Very good... Last month, I sent an SMS congratulating him on joining the 500-club and he called back... It was a nice gesture.

Shane Warne made his debut four years after you, but has scaled unprecedented heights...

Credit to him, certainly, but more credit to his captains ? particularly Allan Border, Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh ? and his first coach, Bobby Simpson... Captains make or break leg-spinners and all three handled Warne superbly... The amount of spin he extracts is his USP... Because he turns more, he’s able to take more risks... Usually, that pays off handsomely... Early on, he hardly bowled the googly and didn’t have the top-spinner, but developed them because of the support from his captains and Simpson. I don’t think any Indian spinner conceding 150 (for one wicket) in his first Test innings would have had a career to talk of.

A whole lot of quicks emerged in this about-to-end season, but only one spinner ? leggie Piyush Chawla. Why?

(Grins) Because of one-day cricket... Even locally, there are few two-three day games, but many limited overs matches... Because of that, the mentality of spinners has changed ? they want to restrict, not attack... As I see it, even if somebody takes four for 60, he has more than done his job... Waiting for batsmen to makes mistakes doesn’t help; get them to commit them... Team India must have at least one wicket-taking spinner in the XI.

Your impressions of Chawla?

The teenager is promising, but was made to play his first Test (in Mohali, versus England) too soon... Even if he had to be blooded right now, it ought to have been in Nagpur or Mumbai, never on a wicket which traditionally is seamer-friendly... A spinner must play two-three seasons of Ranji Trophy before getting the India call-up. This business of exposure to youngsters should not be ill-planned.

How do we unearth spinners?

Simple ? by having spin academies across the country. I’ll be happy if the Board involves me in some manner.

Eighteen years on, what are your thoughts on that sensational debut?

I can’t forget it... People haven’t forgotten it either? Aur main kya kahun?

Didn’t that put you under pressure?

In the sense that getting three-four wickets was seen as a failure... People are entitled to high expectations, but I’m human and could just perform to the best of my ability...

You switched to Bengal for one season in the late 1990s, but didn’t seem to settle down...

Theek nahin laga and, so, I came back to MP.

What ought to be the temperament of a leg-spinner?

He has to be aggressive and believe he has the ability to take a wicket off every ball... (Adds laughing) Leggies don’t get satisfied with two-three wickets... They want more, or else they’re going to stay hungry. A leg-spinner has the potential to destroy in a few overs.

Any tips on how to prepare for the big occasions?

Study the opposition and, if needed, have different weapons ? be it the googly or flipper ? to dislodge different batsmen. It’s rare for them to have the same strengths and weaknesses.

Given what happened in 2001, did you feel let down by Sourav?

(After a pause) That’s past...

Your thoughts on the treatment being meted out to him?

I feel bad... Sourav must not have been dropped after the New Delhi Test (against Sri Lanka, last December) and after the one in Karachi (this February)... He didn’t get a fifty or a hundred, but looked good... My impression is that he has become the victim of an ego battle with coach (Greg) Chappell... Also, perhaps, Sourav didn’t offer his namastes to chief selector Kiran More properly... In India, such things count... I may have a grievance, personally, but Sourav still has something to contribute... Moreover, you don’t argue with his statistics ? over 15,000 runs in Tests and ODIs don’t come easy... Chappell and More, whose behaviour suggests he’s the only selector, shouldn’t sit on ego.

But Chappell has emerged the supremo...

Why? He was a great batsmen, but it’s not necessary he’s right on every issue... We, in India, tend to believe that a foreigner necessarily knows best. I don’t subscribe to that.

The last question: Your take on a young Team India...

Of course, youngsters have to be given exposure, but the balance has to be right. We must not end up with a Jamshedpur-like situation where all three new ball bowlers (Rudra Pratap Singh, Munaf Patel and Vikram Rajvir Singh) were inexperienced and England had a ball.