`It’s wrong to pull cricketers into a political debate`

It’s not often that you get a chance to talk to a person, who has been one of India’s finest all-rounders and the only captain who won India the cricket World Cup (in the 50 over format) and helped in turning the sport into a religion. Looking suave and relaxed in his light pink shirt, Kapil Dev Nikhanj was enthusiastic, talking to over fifty odd kids, who had assembled to participate in Albatross International Junior Golf Championship.Himanshu Shekhar of Zeecric.com caught up with cricket’s living legend.

Excerpts: Your love for golf is nothing new, but do you actually foresee a space for upcoming talent in a nation that is obsessed with cricket? I see passion in these kids. The passion is for the sport and if people come together and encourage them, then there is no doubt that things will improve. We are in a different age, as in our times, it was hard to convince parents that playing can give you a career. But things have improved, even parents have formed a group and they are organizing an international junior golf tournament. Such movements often don’t yield results in a day or so, one has to have patience. These golfing kids will make it big one day. Golf now being an Olympic sport, there are chances that more people will join the game and will be inspired to do well for the nation. Sachin Tendulkar has completed twenty years in cricket ….. (Interrupts)…I have lot of respect for Tendulkar. His passion, commitment, discipline, humble nature and talent have guided him to carry on for two decades and India is proud to have him in its ranks. I don’t think anyone in the near future will even come close to him. Balasaheb Thackeray has criticised Tendulkar for not supporting the Marathi cause. I will tell you one thing, when you go abroad, people see you as an Indian. When you play in whites, you play for India. It is absurd to pull a cricketer in the middle of a political storm. Being from Maharashtra, Haryana, Bengal is good, but when it comes to competing with international teams, it is always India first and everything else second. Any young cricketer should firmly believe that. Tendulkar is a proud Marathi, but an Indian first and that thought must be respected and followed. In fact, his observation has hugely raised the amount of respect I had for him. When sportsmen compete, they do it for the love of the game. The thrill for playing and winning for the nation is unmatched. Sportsmanship is all about giving your best and respecting your opponents. Any one trying to politicise it must refrain from such acts. How do you foresee this young Indian cricket team? This is one of the best Indian teams to play in last decade or so. We have a healthy mix of young talent and experienced performers. Unfortunately, the results have not done justice to the team’s potential. Sometimes you believe that it has to do with luck and no one should rule that out. On Dhoni’s captaincy: MSD has been a phenomenon and his captaincy has often been praised after the successes he brought with his side. But now that results have not been so favorable, the real mettle will be tested. India failed to qualify for Champions Trophy semis and lost to far-from-best Australian squad. Dhoni is enjoying a good run with the bat and that has helped him survive the pressure. Knowing him, I would say he is a man, who would not take all these defeats very kindly. The real character of this lad would be tested in troubled waters and I have all the reason to believe that he would emerge victorious. Are we playing too much cricket these days? Yes, of course. The season is packed with very little time for players to recuperate. Injuries are given hasty treatment…all this leads to a lot of confusion. How should a fast bowler approach his game considering the workload? People like Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan have already come under scanner for their fitness. Be selective. That’s the only way one can cope with it. Be honest to your fitness. Selectors should also keep these pacers in loop while picking them for a tour. A mechanism must be in place which should ensure a minimum of 7– 8 fast bowlers and then, rotation is the best option. Australians have been doing this for quite some time now. Resting policy is a must for fast bowlers and its time one should adopt it. Till the time we don’t have it, it’s up to the players to be brave and be honest if they have an injury.