da casino： Aakash Chopra is once again eyeing a spot in the Indian team, and another big score will do him no harm – especially with Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, in Delhi to watch the game
Anand Vasu in New Delhi22-Nov-2006In a red t-shirt, and matching red Reebok cap, Aakash Chopra is a picture of relaxation after a Delhi team meeting on the eve of their Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu. And why would he not be, given that he’s fresh off a big score in the Duleep Trophy final. He’s now once again eyeing a spot in the Indian team, and another big score will do him no harm – especially with Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, in Delhi to watch the game. He took time off to speak to .Anand Vasu (AV): How satisfying was it scoring 188 in a big game like the Duleep final?
Every time I went out to bat I wanted to score a double-century so I could makeit back into the Indian team as soon as possible © AFP
Aakash Chopra (AC): Scoring runs is always satisfying, and to do so in a bit stage like the Duleep Trophy final against a touring side that has 7-8 internationals makes it that much more special. The match was on TV. I was a bit disappointed not to get the double-century, and perhaps more, but it was an important innings for me.AV: Was the knock especially significant as India are in South Africa and there might be a requirement for a third opener in the Test series?AC: Regardless of where India is at the moment and what the requirements areit was an important knock. I’m not looking beyond that. The next thing isthe game starting tomorrow. I might get two innings there and that’s twomore opportunities to score. I’m just looking at that and not thinkingabout things I cannot control.AV: How easy or otherwise is it to motivate yourself in domestic matches whenyou have been dropped from the Indian team and have to fight your wayback?AC: Motivation has never been an issue. It has always been there. If I wasn’tmotivated enough I’d stop playing cricket. The problem was nevermotivation – it was that I was putting too much pressure on myself. Everytime I went out to bat I wanted to score a double-century so I could makeit back into the Indian team as soon as possible. In trying to do that youcut out a lot of shots and tend to play a bit too safe. Then you’re onlythinking about not making mistakes and you go into a shell. It’s a viciouscycle. Two years out has given me a chance to think about my game, to playin England and iron out a few flaws.AV: In domestic cricket you don’t get the same kind of back-room support as ininternational cricket. So in a sense is it harder to adjust to that whenyou’re dropped from the Indian team?AC: I didn’t spend that much time in international cricket either. It was justabout a year. And even in that because I was only playing Test matches itwas not as though I was with the team all year. Having played domesticcricket for five-six years before that, and gone through the grind ofage-group cricket, I was used to the facilities, the support staff – orthe lack of it – so that was not an issue. But you definitely look atthings from a different perspective.AV: It’s been said that you didn’t have too many shots. That your top hand waslocked and so you could never play through the off side.AC: You won’t score runs if you can’t play through the off side. The Duleepfinal was covered live, people would have seen that, 60% of my scoringshots were on the off. If you don’t score runs, or get dropped, there arethousands of opinions voiced and judgments passed on your technique. Therewere flaws in my batting, and still are – nobody is perfect. But the samepeople who passed those comments will talk differently when you make runs- they’ll say ‘he’s changed’ or ‘he’s improved’, even if you’re doingexactly the same thing. Basically you’re still the same player – perhapsyou’re working more on your all-round game. But it’s not possible tochange your entire game.AV: Are you looking for that one chance back in the Indian team to proveyourself once more?AC: I’m definitely looking for one more chance, and more. When you get achance to play for India you want to cement your place in the team, andthat was what I tried to do the last time round as well. But it didn’thappen. So, I’m looking at it as an opportunity to first make it back, andif I do that, then to cement my place.AV: Have you been in touch with your team-mates since you were dropped fromthe national side?
I won’t blame anyone for my being dropped. No one stopped me from converting those 40s and 50s into centuries © AFP
AC: I’ve been playing with Viru [Sehwag] a lot. I travelled to Mohali to speak with Mike Atherton and have been in touch with him on email since. He has beenmy idol since childhood. I spoke to Greg Chappell in Nagpur last year.When you know you’re lacking somewhere – maybe it’s a mental thing, maybeit’s a technical thing, you want to talk to as many people as possible andget the best out of it. I have spoken to a lot of people, not just myteam-mates, and hopefully all that will help.AV: When you were dropped back then, it was after you had done a job that wasasked of you. With Sehwag scoring as quickly as he does, you were told tojust seal one end up. You did that, and were still dropped. What did thatfeel like?AC: That was the brief when I played then. My job was to just block one end upand see the ball off. That was the role I was assigned, and I think I didthe job to some extent. So you do feel bad, because you played the roleyou were told to and then got dropped. But I won’t blame anyone for mybeing dropped. No one stopped me from converting those 40s and 50s intocenturies. If I had done that, things would have been different and wewouldn’t be talking about this now. We all make mistakes, and we learnfrom them. That said, when you’re playing in any team, you have a role toplay, and that is assigned based on what suits your game best, and youhave to play that. The thing is, if you get a start you have to make itcount, and make sure you’ve saved enough for a rainy day.AV: When you were dropped did the selectors tell you why you were dropped?AC: Unfortunately things don’t work like that in India. I’ve spoken to peoplelike Kiran More and they’ve assured me they still had faith in me – it’sjust that I had to back that up with runs in domestic cricket. I reallydon’t blame the selectors or anyone. There’s no point in that. You have tobe looking to improve yourself. Unfortunately there isn’t a system inIndia where the selectors tell you where you lacked or where you need toimprove when you get dropped. You have to figure it out yourself.AV: With television coverage coming in and increased pay for players, do youthink the profile of domestic cricket will now go up?AC: It should. Domestic cricket should almost be at par with internationalcricket. I play in England and I’ve seen what it’s like at counties. Theyhave loyal fan followings, people turn up in team shirts to support theirteam. That’s the way it should be. If you see the lot of the first-classcricketers in India half of them don’t have jobs. And that is because thereisn’t much interest in first-class cricket from the public, and thereforethe sponsors and corporates. India, unfortunately, is not a cricket-crazycountry; it’s a star-crazy country.