"Rohit doesn't panic and that's important when you are leading"
Sachin Tendulkar, while speaking to the Hindustan Times, spoke about Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, the 2nd India-New Zealand Test among other topics.
Friday's delayed start to the second Test between India and New Zealand brought back memories of the 2004 Test against Australia for Sachin Tendulkar who had battled excruciating elbow pain to score a fighting 55 in a match India went on to win by just 13 runs. In an interview, Tendulkar talks about that Test, Mayank Agarwal’s brilliant century on Day 1 and the current India pace attack. Excerpts:
Do you feel it was a good Day 1 for India?
It takes me back to the 2004 Test against Australia at the Wankhede. It had rained before that match as well and the surface was covered. When the surface is covered there is bit of sweating, bit of moisture. So was the case on Day 1 against New Zealand as well.
I felt it was a lovely start. Both Mayank (Agarwal) and Shubman (Gill) gave us a very good start. There was a bit of help for New Zealand bowlers and the openers were able to negotiate that. From New Zealand’s point of view, Ajaz Patel was their best bowler. They possibly would have liked to perform better. Our spinners are going to bowl better on this surface is what my gut feeling is.
What do you think of Mayank’s century?
The way he capitalised on his start was magnificent because initially it took him some time to get into rhythm. He stayed there and when the time was right he attacked spinners quite consistently. Some of the deliveries he attacked were good. That puts a lot of pressure on their bowling side and that is what Mayank was able to do. On the whole, it was a magnificent hundred.
Coming back to the pitch during 2004, it was pretty similar to this one, spinning square. This was also when the tennis elbow troubled you a lot…
The 2004 wicket was slightly drier than this. When it started it had a bit of moisture but it wasn’t the same surface as this one. As the game progressed, it had more purchase for spinners. I think even this surface is going to help our spinners quite a bit as the game progresses.
I had missed the first couple of games of the series as I was recovering from tennis elbow. I had made a comeback during the Nagpur Test which was before the Mumbai match. In the third innings of the match, I was batting with VVS Laxman in Mumbai on Day 3 morning. I had just started my innings and my elbow started hurting again. So I had to ask for couple of pain killers which I chewed so that it could get quickly absorbed in my system. Laxman and I had a crucial partnership and we were able to give some runs for our bowlers to bowl with. Not too many (he chuckles), it was 100-odd runs and we got them out for 93. On the whole, it was a superb Test match. Those are the kind of matches that stay in your head.
Coming to building innings in Tests, what will be your advice to youngsters? We saw Shubman Gill get another start but not capitalising.
All the batters, once they get a start, they would like to go on and on and that is exactly what our seniors also told us: “Once you get a start, make your wicket count”. That is what my message to everyone. Not just one or two individuals, not just Shubman to every batter.
Nowadays we see batters trying to play from the crease when spinners are operating. What do you think is the reason? Are spinners bowling with a flatter trajectory or batting technique has evolved?
Depends on the kind of bowling you are facing. Sometimes, you face bowlers who don’t give you enough time in the air and then there are bowlers who give you time in the air so against those bowlers you can step out and play those short. Today, whatever I saw briefly, Mayank and Shubman did come down the wicket. Towards the end, (Wriddhiman) Saha stepped out as well. Depends on what type of bowlers you are facing. Sometimes you don’t get that much time to play.
You have interacted a lot with Rohit Sharma during your time with Mumbai Indians and also in the India and Mumbai Ranji dressing room. Now that he is captain of the T20 side, what do you think he brings to the table as a captain, what has impressed you?
Whatever my interaction with Rohit has been, he has a very smart cricketing brain. He doesn’t panic. He is able to absorb pressure is what I saw. That is important when you are leading the side. There are multiple things that a captain has to take care of. If you are in a situation when the team is looking up to you, then it is important that the captain keeps his cool and does the job and that is what I have noticed in Rohit during the time we spent at Mumbai Indians.
The Indian pace attack has done well in Australia and England. Next up will be the South Africa series. How do you look at this pace attack and what things have been done right to reach this stage?
It’s not happened accidently. It’s a consistent effort in making sure that you have the right structure in place. I felt the biggest change that happened in Indian cricket was from IPL onwards. Players, especially domestic cricketers, got lot of time to spend with international world-class cricketers.
The methods of training have changed. They think differently now which is so critical because if you are going to rub shoulders with top international stars, it make a big difference. Suddenly a player starts thinking differently. You spend couple of months with them, you practise with them and it makes a huge impact.
That is what I have seen happening from the start of IPL. That started a new phase in Indian cricket, the seeds were sown then. We talk only about the recent past but I would say the process started way back from that period. All these guys who are representing India now have, as kids, been watching all those guys and that inspired them.