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Exclusive Interview: Ashwin has been underutilised as a Test batsman says Karsan Ghavri

Ravichandran Ashwin

Exclusive Interview: Ashwin has been underutilised as a Test batsman says Karsan Ghavri: The genuine medium pacer during the Indian spin quartet era, Karsan Ghavri, took time to go down memory lane and also express his opinion on present day cricket, Team India, IPL et al.

Our correspondent, Subramanian Krishnamurthi, caught up with Kadu Bhai as he was referred to by his team mates, for a one-on-one chat.

Excerpts from the interview:

 

 

Oh I am fine. It all happened a couple of months ago. I am absolutely fine now and back to routine.

 

 

 

 

See, identifying talent in U16 or U19 is a very lengthy process. It is slow and steady. There are a few good players, both batsmen and bowlers. They have to go through the grind. It may take six months, one year or even a little more to really zero on them.

 

 

 

 

We had a very good spin attack those days – Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrasekhar and Venkatraghvan. Medium pacers, like me, Abid Ali, Eknath Solkar were told that our job was to get the shine off the ball. We were told that we would get 2 or 3 overs to do this and in the process if would get a wicket or two that would be fine.

Moreover, we were not ‘express’ bowlers like Holding, Lillee, Thomson and to some extent Imran. We were medium pacers.

Once Bedi and Prasanna retired, Chandra was in and out of the team, Shivlal Yadav, Dilip Doshi joined the team.

I started my career with Pataudi. Later on Venkat was the captain for two World Cup editions in 1975 and 1979.

It was when Sunil Gavaskar took over as the regular captain the situation changed. He gave more opportunities to the pace bowlers. He believed in medium pace bowling and so we started getting more opportunities to bowl.

 

 

 

 

In our time we just had a Team Manager and a Media Manager. Team Manager was mostly involved in our travel arrangements, luggage management, a little bit of training, while the Media Manager would address the press since you cannot expect the players or the captain to be meeting the press always.

Everybody in the team knew their role once a certain standard has been reached. You don’t have to be told how to bowl, bat or field.

There was nothing called, planning or strategising those days. It was all what happened in the middle. There would be hardly any Team meeting.

On my joining the Indian team, I asked our skipper Pataudi about my role. He replied, “You just do what you want”.

Those words were enough for me to define my role.

 

 

 

See, as I said earlier, there was no planning or strategising. We just went out and played according to the situation. Planning and strategising was never there.

Yes it was a great partnership with Kirmani who went on to score a century. We just played according to the needs of the situation.

 

 

 

In 1975 and 1979, none in the Indian team had any clue as to how to play the shorter version of the game. Few of the guys had played in England but, by and large, nobody had any idea of how to approach this format.

We went out and played as best as we could.

Even though we had won the World Cup in 1983, I came to know from some of my friends, since I was not part of the squad, that there was neither a strategy nor a plan even at that time.

It was the individual brilliance that helped us win the tournament.

Just before the final, I understand, there was a team meeting and when asked about the plan, Kapil had said, “Ab hum Final pahunch gayen hain, dil se khelna” (Now that we have reached the Final, play with your heart) and when a player asked ‘What should we do?”, he was told that the Team meeting was over.

 

 

 

 

Team India has really been doing good for the past 7 to 9 years. They are taking every step in the right direction and moving forward. They have a nice blend of players and will keep doing well. They will do exceedingly well in the current series.

 

 

 

 

You cannot rule Ashwin out. He is a utility player and has to be looked after. He has to be given his position. He is an excellent bowler. Picking up 50 Test wickets in 9 matches is no mean thing.

He also has three Test centuries.

Yes in my opinion he may have been underutilised as a Test batsman.

 

 

 

 

Well his time will come and he will deliver.

 

 

 

 

I have a lot of expectation on Bhuvneshwar. He swings the ball well and has an accurate line and a bouncer variety also. But somehow he is not doing well. It is necessary to bowl in different line and length in IPL and in ODIs and Tests.

 

Conditions in England, New Zealand etc suit him well. He has to pick up and perform to his potential.

 

 

 

Well, Jadeja is a very useful player. But compared to his potential he has not delivered. He is more of a ‘limited version’ player than a Test player.

 

 

 

Well, Kumble has taken up as the coach of the team. As I said earlier, Team India has been doing well for the past 7 to 9 years. They have done well under John Wright, Gary Kirsten and even under Duncan Fletcher.

Ravi Shastri managed them well post World Cup 2015. Team will do well and the support staff also would get the credit.

 

 

 

It is too early for me to offer any comment on this.

 

 

 

Well, BCCI is important for us. We are nothing without BCCI. I would be interested in any kind of assignment related to the game, if given to me by the Board.

 

 

 

No I do not own any academy now. I am only working for BCCI. It is difficult to say anything about the future.

 

 

 

IPL is a great entertainer. It throws out new talent every year. Spectators love it. Like Vidya Balan said, “Entertainment, Entertainment and Entertainment”. Players are also paid well.

Bowlers should take the risk and try to get the batsmen out. It is not all that easy for the batsmen too. They also take a lot of risk in scoring the runs.

Cricket over the years has always been ‘batsman friendly’. If a bowler takes 5 wickets in a game he is appreciated. But if a batsman scores a century, he is appreciated and remembered too for a very long time.

 

 

 

My simple advice to the youngsters is, “Don’t look for IPL cap. Look for the State cap. Ultimately look forward to play for India. IPL is secondary”.

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