The image of Indian cricket changed drastically in the last four years, some top cricketers waved good bye while some youngsters made their way in. Sandeep Patil, who recently completed his tenure as Chairman of national selectors, was at the forefront of this chance. He saw it all and played a crucial role in helping India cruise through the period of transition and turned it in to a successful cricketing unit. In an EXCLUSIVE interview with ABP News Associate editor G.S. Vivek, Patil recaps his journey with the Indian cricket team. Excerpts….
Selector is like an artist who works for four years to create a picture and uses different brushes and strokes. How do you find this picture called Indian cricket team?
Sandeep Patil: Formats of the game have changed in recent times. We now have three formats, including Test, ODI and T20. It was risky to bring balance in all formats during these four years but I feel happy when I see players plying trades in all three formats. It was really great indeed.
As a selector you appointed Virat Kohli as captain of the Indian Test team but don’t you think Virat was an obvious choice because he had won U-19 world cup and was in a tremendous form or was it because you did not had any other option?
SP: I feel proud to say Virat Kohli did not provide us with other option. I have closely followed Virat’s journey. Virat has been a top-class player and an efficient leader. From U-19 prospect to national Test captain, it feels great to see the kind of responsibility and aggression he displays on the pitch. Virat keeps the team as one unit. No doubt there were consideration of other names as well, but you cannot make a leader. Those qualities come to you automatically and you possess them. That’s why he was chosen to lead the Test team after successful stint of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. I believe Virat will not only take Indian team forward but set records worldwide.
We will definitely talk about Dhoni’s and Virat’s Journey but before that we would like to know about your journey as the chief selector. You replaced your 1983 World Cup winning teammate. Everyone thought selectors were supposed to do what was expected out of them and the captain dominated the selection process and selectors couldn’t express their opinion. What was going on in your mind when you took up the responsibility?
SP: Sometimes you feel disappointed because as a selector you have to play pick and drop game but selectors don’t drop players looking at their physical appearance. It’s a part and parcel of the game. Selectors are assigned to find way forward. So sometimes we have to take strict decisions keeping aside all your personal relations and contacts.
Like you said it’s quiet difficult to drop players and take strict decision. During your time some of the top players waved good bye to the game. Some of them were happy, some were disappointed. Virendra Sehwag wished to play one more Test to bid farewell. Do you think top players should be given farewells?
SP: It’s wrong if we decide to give farewell to every cricketer. This decision rests with the BCCI or the governing bodies but it’s kind of obvious to feel bad. I can understand that feeling (Sehwag’s). As a player I had gone through that as well. I believe Tendulkar’s farewell was well organized by the BCCI but it somewhere raised expectation of other players. Selectors don’t give much attention to these things. Our job is to hunt for talent who take the India cricket team forward. Sometimes players are dropped because of their age but I believe age is not the barrier. We give importance to fitness and performance. If a player is fit enough to perform, he will have equal chances to be considered for selection.
Indian cricketers are always in dilemma when it comes to taking a call on retirement. Most of the cricketers are shown their way out, only a few of them are able to time their retirement well. Do you think even this golden generation faces similar problem?
SP: It will be difficult for me to answer. It’s difficult to say that Fab 5 (Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly, Kumble) delayed their retirement. It’s up to the player. He himself has to decide on his retirement. You have to take your family members and coaches into consideration and decide. Selectors cannot pressurise cricketers to retire from the game. It’s not our duty.
You said it is not your duty to pressurise cricketers to retirements, but there was a rumour that you asked India’s biggest ever cricketer to consider retirement from cricket.
SP: Sandeep Patil is a man of low stature compared to Sachin Tendulkar. Do you really think I can ask someone, who is called the ‘god of cricket’, to leave the game. It was not my decision. Sachin himself decided to say good-bye. No doubt I was a part of that decision. It was a right decision taken at the right time. I was disappointed like million others but you shouldn’t get disturbed when you are at Chief Selector’s position.
You believe a player should take a call on his retirement, but in Sachin’s case, it was a collective decision. Don’t you think even the top players should be forced to make their decisions at the right time, keeping in mind the future of the nation?
SP: We had good relation with seniors as well as juniors. When senior cricketers had problems in any department, we made them realise their lacking. It is important for everyone to have a reality check to know their position in the team and it’s the duty of the selectors to make them understand what is needed out of them. Indian team now has good bench strength and we have options to replace every player in case of injuries.
It’s obvious that decision regarding Sachin’s retirement must have taken a long time. Such calls cannot be taken in one go.
SP: As long as I remember, it was 12th December 2012, Nagpur. Sachin got out and the selectors decide to meet him and ask him about his wish. I was the one who staged the meet, being the chairman of selectors, and it was purely to understand what was running in his mind. It was a good thing to do. It did not happen in one day, one month or one year, it took two long years. Sachin retired in 2014. The meeting in Nagpur was just to ask his plans.
What was Sachin’s reaction?
SP: Sachin wanted to concentrate more on Test cricket. So, it was decide that Sachin will retire from One-day cricket. He called me and Sanjay Jagdale (then BCCI secretary). Then it was collectively decided that he will retire from ODI’s.
Did you ever come across similar situations during your tenure again?
SP: It was not the only time selectors had to face similar situations and not only with Sachin. We had to face it with Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan. It is a difficult scenario when you have to drop somebody. But it’s the requirement of the job. You have to travel with those players after dropping them. It gets really difficult to face them.
Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra made a comeback. So is it right to say we did not find right replacements for them in different formats?
SP: We always keep our doors open. If you perform well, you will have the chance. Harbhajan, Yuvraj, Ashish – all got their chances. It’s not always about the age and fitness. We also consider their ability to perform under different circumstances and against different team and different formats. Selector’s job is to bring balance by selecting 15 members squad. It rests with the captain and coach to select the 11-member team to go out and play the match and it does not mean selectors have no say in it. The playing combination is discussed with the selectors. This is an interesting part of the game. Things look quite easy outside the boundary line. The moment you step your foot in, you feel the tension which a common man may not understand. Therefore, we try to combine the balance and captain’s confidence to bring the best out of the team.
What do you have to say about Dhoni’s last Test series and his decision to retire?
SP: Indian players didn’t perform up to the mark. Only exception was Virat who performed exceptionally well. We had youngsters like Karan Sharma and KL Rahul making their debuts. It was a very tough series. I won’t say Dhoni was leading a sinking ship. Things didn’t move in our favor and in that backdrop one of your senior players decide to hang his gloves, that was shocking but in the end, it was his decision.
Was it shocking or disappointing?
Sp: I would say shocking because the player himself can monitor his body and fitness. So, he can take his call. Selectors cannot decide on that. Even today, Dhoni’s supporters would love to see him back in action, playing some helicopter shots and win matches for India. Kick is important to carry on in this game.
Was there any threat to Dhoni’s Captaincy?
SP: We, of course, had a brief discussion about it on few occasions. We wanted to experiment by shifting the baton but we thought the time was not right as the World Cup was fast approaching. New captain should be given some time to set things right. Keeping in mind the World Cup, we chose to go with Dhoni. I believe Virat got the captaincy at the right time and he can lead the team in shorter formats as well. The decision rests with the new selection committee.
Dhoni, who is known as a match finisher, failed to win matches for India in recent times. What was the selectors’ reaction to that?
SP: Going down the history, it happens with best of the players. Even Don Bradman and Brian Lara had to face this. But to understand that as a player is more important and I feel Dhoni has understood it better than anybody else and took the right decision at the right time. His decision proved to be beneficial for the Indian cricket team.