Mumbai Sep 10: Krishnamachari Srikkanth walks away a satisfied man at the end of his tenure as the chairman of India’s National Selection Panel. When he took over as Team India’s chief selector in 2008, Srikkanth’s goal was to see India reign supreme in Test and ODI cricket. During his tenure, the former captain selected teams that took India to the pinnacle of Test cricket and brought home the 2011 World Cup.
Srikkanth was at the BCCI Headquarters in Mumbai to meet one last time with his panel, comprising Narendra Hirwani, Mohinder Amarnath [who replaced Yashpal Sharma in 2011], Surendra Bhave and CR Venkataraman and some top board officials. After the meeting, the flamboyant former opening batsman spoke to bcci.tv about his experience at the helm, the principle on which his selection style was based and his policy of backing players and providing them security. Srikkanth also spoke fondly about realising his dream of seeing India scale the heights of glory during his tenure.
How was your experience as the Chairman of India’s National Selection Panel?
It’s been a great experience. I’ve learnt a lot in the last four years. It was my first experience as a selector at any level and I thank the BCCI for honouring me with the post. Overall, the tenure was good. We tried our best and tried to be as honest as we could. I’m a very straightforward person and I like to keep things simple. Arguments did happen, but the meetings were mostly very smooth.
How do you assess the success of your panel?
All of us – the board and the selectors – had a dream. We wanted to see two things happen during our tenure. The first was for India to win the 2011 World Cup; that was our top priority. Having been part of the 1983 World Cup-winning team, I wanted that to happen. It was a very big moment for all of us and every Indian. We also wanted India to be No.1 in Tests and we achieved that as well. For a short while we were also the top ODI team.
The panel headed by you was the first professional and paid panel of national selectors. How did that work for the system?
When you’re professional, you’re answerable to the board and the public of India. We did make mistakes and all our selections were not perfect. But being paid for the job, our responsibility to deliver went high.
How would you describe your selection style?
One thing we believed in right through the tenure was that when we found talent, we backed it to the hilt. I had this habit – I don’t know good or bad – to go up to each cricketer and talk personally to him. They say being the chairman of selectors, you have to keep your distance from the cricketers but I did the opposite and maintained very close relationship with the team. People think the selectors are supposed to sit with swords pointed to the players’ head. I, as the chairman, wanted to get that feeling out of the players’ system. I spoke to them, gave them confidence and motivated them. I asked the players to tell me how many chances they wanted. Some players revelled in lesser chances, while others needed a longer rope. You have to assess the player’s talent and ability and give him chances based on that. All my colleagues in the selection committee were very co-operative. We all agreed that if we see promise, we give the player a good run and not judge him on the basis of a couple of matches. The likes of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara are fine examples of the fact that when you back a player, he will come good.
Did you have a similar talk with Yuvraj Singh before selecting him for the 2012 ICC World T20?
Yuvraj’s selection was more for the cricketing reasons, because we needed an all-rounder. Through the BCCI we checked his fitness levels, and once the doctors and physios said that he was fit for the Twenty20 format, it was not a difficult decision. He was an automatic choice. In subcontinental conditions, if he gets going, we’ll win the World Cup.
Team India is going through a transition. How do you foresee the future?
Every team goes through this phase when big players retire. It’s not going to be easy to replace people like Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman or Anil Kumble. We’re trying our best to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible. So far it’s been good and I’m sure the next selection committee will take the team further ahead.
You’ve won a World Cup for India as a player and as a selector. What’s next for you now?
I don’t know. I just play it by the day and play it by the hour. That’s it.
