Not Toronto. Not now!

Hi, Harsha, any idea what is going on? First they say the team selection meeting is indefinitely postponed, now they say they will select on the 19th. And the government says it couldn't care less what the board does, it has its own priorities....

I know, I wonder if the BCCI is waiting for something to happen at the governmental level so that they are spared the decision making. I hope not, but it would not surprise me.

Waiting, as in for the IT-CBI inquiry to produce something, or for a government decision on whether or no to play Pakistan?

Waiting, I think, for the government to point to certain players and say, "Don't pick them".

In other words, for a way to abdicate their own responsibility? This way, the Board become the good guys, they can always say hey, we didn't want to drop you but the government forced us to.

The decision on Pakistan is a peculiar one as well, isn't it? I know, Prem, that you have fairly strong views on this, as indeed you do on most matters, but mine are a bit different. I do not believe that playing Pakistan is a cricketing decision. It is a political one, and it needs to be taken quickly.

Harsha, I would agree that in the final analysis, it has to be a political decision. But having said that, I don't think the BCCI and the government can keep playing who's got the pillow on this one. Somewhere, somehow, we have to make a start -- so for me, the way to go would be for the BCCI to say that given the supercharged emotional atmosphere just now, we are not sending a team to Toronto to play Pakistan. And to add that the board now believes that it is up to the government to make -- and that right quick -- a long term policy statement on whether sporting ties with Pakistan should be renewed.

The government most definitely needs to have a firm view on all sporting and cultural encounters. And that has to be a firm view, one that does not change with the seasons. Actually, "encounters" might be the wrong word. Maybe "relations" would be more apt!

Actually, most of the problems till date have been caused by ambiguity of thought. In the aftermath of Kargil, we had this crazy situation where we said we won't play in Toronto, but we will play the same opponent in Australia. As far as I am concerned, if we make a political decision not to play, we cannot then add a lot of codicils and say we won't play one on one but we will play a triangular, and so on...

Absolutely, that is why I said the decision cannot change with the season. The guns stop booming, we will play... the guns start and we stop. That won't do... that doesn't help our stature in world sport

My take on this, right now, is very simple -- there are too many negatives, and no positive that I can see, attached to playing Pakistan in this surcharged atmosphere. But if you were making the call right now, what would it be? To play, or to suspend all cricketing relations, irrespective of venue, till there is peace?

I did hold a view once that sports and politics should not mix, that sport can actually show the way. I now believe, and I hope I am entitled to change my mind as circumstances change, that my earlier view was naive. If the people do not link national success to sporting success, it would be fine. but that is impossible. Sporting success has a huge political/social feel-good factor, and conversely failure has a negative impact. That is reality. So my view would be, and I must say I am not too good on politics, that we play World Cups and Olympics and such, but put a hold on all other sporting contacts.

In one sense, it would be sad. The players are friends, we have friends across the border, I know some very good and reasonable Pakistani fans, and I will never forget the hospitality that was extended to me in Pakistan in 1997. But having said that, we have to accept a political reality.

All of which puts the ball firmly in the government's court, and for the life of me I can't figure out what the delay is in announcing a firm policy decision on the issue.

When it comes, I hope it is a consistent policy, not likely to change with the changing seasons. One thing for sure, the BCCI won't like it because given the split in international cricket, or at any rate the differences of opinion, it is imperative for India and Pakistan to play cricket. The two countries, along with Sri Lanka and now Bangladesh, want to be seen as a united bloc and you can't convey that impression if you are not playing each other. But coming to your point about the delay, you see now the great peril in having the government run sport?

I guess (*laughing*). But then, I did say government, not a bunch of dummies who will neither crap nor get off the potty. Unfortunately, the two seem synonymous today, but that is no reason for me to stop dreaming I guess

To be fair, with the breakdown in Kashmir talks, the government does have other and more pressing matters on their collective mind...

Fair enough, Harsha, but I am not sure the task is all that difficult. After all, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa as a member of the Cabinet is privy to the government's mind on Kashmir. All he needs to do is translate that perception into a policy statement and pass it on to the board -- he doesn't need to worry about Kashmir and stuff, he's got the prime minister, home minister, external affairs minister and the rest doing that for him. All he has to do is take a decision involving something that comes within his own purview -- to wit, sports. Meanwhile, I am a bit curious about something else -- what if anything are you expecting out of the Board's meeting in Bangalore on the 19th?

I expect that after the huge criticism that the vision statement copped, there will be a rethinking. And a decision on the "tainted" players. From that point of view, it in fact makes sense to have the selection committee meet at the same time -- ideally, in fact, the selection should be a day later. I also expect a very firm decision on the coach. Tthere was some talk about having an official five year calendar of tours. India is among the only countries in the world that doesn't seem to have one, and I would like to see an announcement coming out from Bangalore on that front. And of course, the media manager they have been talking about for a while, it is about time they named him.

I might as well put you on the hot spot -- assuming yours was the sole voice, what would your decision about the coach be?

I am very clear on the issue of the coach. I have great admiration for Kapil Dev as a cricketer, but it would be impossible to believe that his mind is on coaching the team, at this point of time. So if I was the Board, I would make a gracious statement acknowledging his contributions till date, and move forward. I would look to hire an overseas coach, and the major reason would be that he would be free from politics.

It is a terrible part of our cricket -- we need someone who will look at cricket, and not have to worry about the political niceties. I would look at an Australian, because their attitude is different. Direct, no-nonsense, and there is no doubt that they lead the way in cricket innovation these days.

Granting all that, we didn't show noticeable improvement under Simpson -- sure, he was just a consultant, but though I am theoretically all in favour of a foreign coach, I have some niggling doubts about how it will work in practise. Are Indian players the kind who will listen to a foreigner? You move with them extensively, how do you read that?

Bobby Simpson cannot be a short-term solution. You need someone who will change the way people think. Towards the end of his stint, even those who were unhappy all along had, grudgingly, started admitting that he was good. And the generation of Indian cricketers will listen. They can see the improvement that such measures bring them, and they are now ready for a foreign coach to take charge. In fact, I believe that the senior players have begun asking for one.

Yeah, I did hear that at least one very senior player in the team has expressed his reservations about the coach, and asked for a replacement, preferably a foreign one, and conveyed his views to Dr A C Muthiah no less. So Bangalore, on the 19th, should be interesting...

Very -- but by then, I will be in an even more interesting place, though -- Melbourne. Cricket is taking a giant leap ahead, when Australia and South Africa meet in indoor competition for the first time ever -- I only hope that when I get there, the contrast to what we are doing will not be too obvious.

Yes, well, we both know better I guess. Anyways, have a great trip, we'll look forward to your despatches from there.

Cheers.

Prem Panicker
Harsha Bhogle

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