http://telegraphindia.com/1060129/asp/sports/story_5778005.aspPressure has everything to do with thought process: Sachin- A TELEGRAPH EXCLUSIVE Cricket is a competitive gentleman’s game, says maestro LOKENDRA PRATAP SAHI
Karachi: Moin Khan’s views notwithstanding, Sachin Tendulkar continues to stand very tall. Come Sunday and he will be playing a Test at the same venue (National Stadium) where he made his debut on November 15, 1989. Barring the last question, the others were answered by the maestro during a recent (more than an hour long) one-on-one with The Telegraph. The concluding one was lobbed on Saturday.
The following are excerpts
Q The one-day series (at home) against Sri Lanka marked your post elbow surgery comeback. With quite a few youngsters, what was the dressing room like?
A Everybody was there on merit... They were talented and it was pretty obvious they had a nice future... The (dressing room) atmosphere is good when the team is winning... The feeling is different and gets manifested in small ways... Even when we lost in Motera, the mood didn’t change and we eventually beat the Lankans 6-1... Usually, the first match sets the tempo and we’d started very well (Nagpur).
Q Almost three months down the line, few have forgotten the emotion you showed after the win in Pune (versus Lanka)...
(Smiles) That was because we made it 4-0... The series was India’s and it was a moment to celebrate... The only other instance I could recall us taking such a lead was in Toronto against Pakistan, back in 1997 when I was the captain... (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni and Suresh Raina were outstanding in Pune.
Q With a clutch of newcomers around, did you find yourself in a mentor’s role?
I behaved normally... It’s for the youngsters to say how they looked at me...
After the ODI engagements versus Lanka and South Africa, we were back to having the most experienced players for the Test series (against Lanka)... Is the way forward having the younger lot in the ODIs and the seasoned ones in Tests?
The one-day game is different and the emphasis is much more on fitness and agility... That’s there to stay and, in time, is going to head for the next level... Mind you, I’m not suggesting a younger team has to be the better team... The best should be picked.
Q But, surely, the more experienced are better equipped for the demands of Test cricket?
Well, you can control the pace of Test cricket... Where ODIs are concerned, you have to live up to the pace that the game sets... (After a pause) Age, though, must not be a factor... Get the best combination out on the park and let the dressing room be filled with positive energy... Whatever the illness, winning is the best medicine.
Q Looking back, till when did your development as a batsman continue?
It’s continuing... I still look to improve myself... I keep my mind, eyes and ears open...
Q When were you convinced you’d matured?
After the first tour of Australia (1991-92)... The two Test hundreds (Sydney and Perth) gave confidence... I felt good... After that tour, I was ready to take on anybody anywhere... The 114 in Perth was a particularly big step for me.
Q I suppose the 14 months beginning with the start of your elbow problem (August 2004) would have been the toughest phase in your career?
Yes... The body, especially the elbow, wasn’t reacting the way I wanted... Everything was tried, but the problem couldn’t be fixed... It was tough... I’d also gone through a lot of pain when I had the back problem (1999)...
Q You were supposed to be on vacation, in May, when you had the surgery. Surely, that wasn’t part of your plans?
As I was then in England, I decided to meet the doctor (Andrew Wallace) and he recommended immediate surgery... I was pretty cool, but some did get very concerned... What clinched it is that in a worst case scenario, the problem would remain the same — it wouldn’t aggravate... I’d left it to the doctor... He was the best man... I knew surgery wouldn’t be a step backwards.
Q Weren’t you scared?
I was joking even in the lead-up to surgery... I’d been made to wear that gown and I pretended to be a boxer! However, within, there was the uneasiness over what if the surgery didn’t work?
Q What did Dr Wallace tell you after surgery?
That I had to be patient... That I shouldn’t over-reach myself in the rehab period... That in trying to come back too quickly, I could actually delay it... So, even at training (during the rehab) I had to start with very light weights... Basically, I had to get the strength back from scratch.
Q The surgery must have given you the confidence to look at least three-four years ahead...
It has made me think differently...
Q How?
The pain would often be unbearable and cropped up at any time... That (fear) was always at the back of my mind... The shock therapy I underwent in England (September 2004) was also so painful... Four sittings of around 12 minutes each...
Q Switching tracks, what’s your definition of pressure?
Pressure... It has everything to do with the thought process... Depending on what you’re thinking, it either increases or decreases... On a scale of ten, it keeps fluctuating... As low as two or right up there on ten... Pressure is what you believe it is... If you so wish, you may stop your mind from absorbing it.
Q Don’t external factors play a huge role?
Absolutely, but the choice is with you — either be influenced by them or just blank them out...
Q How have you handled pressure over the past 16 years?
I haven’t done anything special.
Q Well, then, how do you distance yourself from the expectations of a billion and more?
I try to... I’m a quiet person and am happy listening to music in the hotel room... I don’t have to heed everything that’s being said... Don’t have to take any pressure beyond what’s faced by everybody...
Q What would be your advice to a Rudra Pratap Singh?
Everybody has an opinion and, so, don’t worry about what some say... Do things you’re good at... Follow your mind, but don’t try to land a knockout punch in the opening round itself.
Q You’re regarded as one of the great sportsmen. How best would you describe greatness?
Haven’t thought about it...
Q Okay... Who, in your opinion, is a great?
Some make it big, some are in the middle tier while some don’t make it at all... Fact is I respect every sportsman... To reach the international level, dedication and sacrifices are essential... Greatness is being at the top over a number of years... I find ‘great’ used loosely, though.
Q What separates a great player from a good one?
Talent... The ability to be a consistent performer... The ability to think differently... Accepting challenges... Great sportspersons prepare better and, so, are better equipped to overcome challenges... The ability to organise one’s life is also something which separates a great player from a good one... If the career is like a jig-saw puzzle, then everything has to be placed perfectly... You can’t try and squeeze in things... Striking the right formula helps... Obviously, it’s not necessary that what’s good for me has to be as good for somebody else.
Q The truly great have been...
Michael Schumacher, Tiger Woods, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Michael Jordon, Diego Maradona... Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf as well…
Q McEnroe’s temperament was different to yours...
I liked him... The way he played... His inner aggression...
Q And, great cricketers?
Quite a few, really... Of course, I admired Viv Richards and Sunil Gavaskar the most.
Q As the senior-most pro on the international circuit, what’s your take on the changes cricket has seen since November 1989?
The introduction of Match Referees and international panel umpires has worked... When other sports see changes, why not cricket? As for the use of technology, I believe there’s scope to further minimise the possibility of doubtful decisions. I’m all for more technology as a Test/ODI can be influenced by one or two decisions... It’s not only an individual who suffers, but his team... The administrators have to continuously look at options.
Q But, then, the human element gets reduced?
I appreciate what you’re saying, but you’ve got to understand that a team may end up paying for a mistake by a third party... The competition is between teams and, if one has to pay, it should be because of shortcomings within and not because of an error(s) by the umpire... I accept humans will make mistakes, but if we have the technology which detects it straightaway, well, that has to be rectified... Give more technology a chance.
Q Is the experimental super sub rule satisfactory?
It’s okay... It has made the teams work harder and made it more entertaining for the paying public... Losing the toss can upset calculations, but cricket has to be played... The strategy has to be sharper...
Q Any law you would like amended?
Can’t say off-hand.
Q Is there a need to encourage Twenty20?
Why not? It’s harsher on the bowlers, but is a bigger challenge... The thinking of batsmen also changes... It becomes like book-cricket — fours and sixes!
Q Have you, at any time, felt cricket isn’t a gentleman’s game?
(Smiles again) It’s a competitive gentleman’s game... Nobody wants to make a fool of himself... Nobody wants to be a loser...
Q Do you invite terminally ill children home for a quiet session?
I do (from the Make a Wish Foundation) as they want a few quality minutes with me... That’s not possible if I meet them in front of dozens of people... As it’s their last wish to meet me, I give each of them a T-shirt or a cap of mine... It makes their visit memorable and helps me and my family look within and appreciate how lucky we are... That God has blessed us... Interactions like that bring one back to reality... It ensures we don’t live in a dream land.
Q Don’t you get drained emotionally?
Almost all the time... I feel bad... But, then, the other problems become minuscule... Actually, as kids absorb a lot more, both Sara and Arjun are around when the terminally ill children come home.
Q Sixteen years on, what’s the one thing you remember most about your debut?
(Emotionally, after a pause) Walking out of the dressing room as a Test cricketer... That moment when I stepped on to the National Stadium turf...
AuthorTopic: SRT speaks (Read 591 times)
January 20, 2006, 09:18:20 AM