CHENNAI: Former India player and Indian women’s cricket team coach WV Raman is happy that cricket is back in the country. He also feels that the decision to let spectators watch the England series in Chennai from the stands will have a positive bearing in the future.
The former India opener bats for pink-ball cricket and welcomes the move to rotate players in order to prevent burnout. In an exclusive chat with the newspaper, he says that Virat Kohli is following Sachin Tendulkar’s footsteps and believes that Rohit Sharma will be a success in red-ball cricket too. Excerpts...
We will be playing a day and night pink-ball Test, how significant will it be?
I’m sure India will be keen to do well in the D/N game because the possibility of Tests being played under lights and with the pink ball is getting stronger with every passing year.
Will women be able to adjust to the bio-bubble?
Under the circumstances, it is not a matter of choice as much as it is a necessity. The girls have had the experience of being in a bio-bubble leading up to and during the T20 Challenge in the UAE during IPL. Besides, they are keen to get on to the field. In order to play, they have to be prepared to cope with the regulations and protocols.
How do you find the talent pool of spinners in India?
The emergence of Washington Sundar as an all-rounder will, no doubt, give extra flexibility to the team management, but behind the scenes, moves have been made to focus on developing talented spinners in the country from the time I was in the National Cricket Academy (NCA). So, we will see a lot of young spinners coming through on a regular basis.
Muttiah Muralitharan had said R Ashwin has the potential to break his highest Test wickets record or come close to picking up 600 wickets. What Ashwin needs to do?
I am glad for Ashwin that Muralitharan feels that way and I sincerely hope that Ashwin achieves that milestone. But as to what Ashwin needs to do is something that Murali, (Shane) Warne or (Anil) Kumble will be better placed to tell you.
Everyone expects Virat Kohli to score a ton every time he steps out. How much has Kohli improved as a captain and his ability to keep breaking records?
Kohli is doing what Tendulkar did right through his career — of living up to the expectations of the most encouraging and also the most demanding Indian public. He has done well so far in delivering both as a captain and a batsman, of course. Records are broken incidentally as the likes of Kohli and Tendulkar were focusing on excelling each and every time they went out to play for India.
Rohit Sharma is a prolific batsman in white ball cricket. What does he need to do to have the same amount of success in red-ball cricket?
He has not done badly at all in Test cricket. Perhaps we expect too much from him keeping in mind his stupendous success in white-ball cricket. As he plays more of Test cricket, he will make up for whatever opportunities he has missed out on thus far. Of this, I am certain because he is a top-quality player.
Tamil Nadu won the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s. What helped them win the title?
The cricketers of TN have always possessed the skill sets to do well in the shorter formats of the game. In fact, I would go to the extent of saying they enjoy playing white ball cricket. Therefore, it is not surprising that they are a formidable lot in those formats.