New Delhi. The wait for the World Cup is about to end. Every cricket fan is eager to see his favorite team play and win. So cricket experts are busy assessing each team’s strengths and weaknesses. One such expert is Sanjay Manjrekar, who is popular all over the world. Sanjay Manjrekar, who played two World Cups in the 1990s, is seen doing commentary these days. News18 Hindi had an exclusive conversation with Sanjay Manjrekar ahead of the World Cup starting on October 5. India is hosting this World Cup.
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Sanjay ji, like the Indian team, your schedule is very busy. How to manage.
Yes, I’m busy. But we also have a little rotation policy of commentators in our team.
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The last time you spoke to all the players was before the 2011 World Cup. You may not have been a part of the World Cup winning team but you have certainly witnessed it. You have seen up close what it means to win the World Cup. How do you compare to that World Cup now? Which is the pressure, the expectations attached to the team.
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You are right as I just heard from Nasir Hussain, Eoin Morgan, Simon Dole and other experts. He used to say that the Indian team is good. But sometimes when big chances arise in the knockouts they cannot play openly because of the burden of expectations. Perhaps there is a greater challenge.
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Sanjay ji, I have been going with this team for almost 18 months on every tour to different countries. If I talk about the recent West Indies tour so far, first Rohit Sharma was the captain, then Hardik Pandya and then Jasprit Bumrah. Different coaches came in, support staff changed. But one thing I noticed is that the atmosphere of the dressing room and the vision of the team has not changed. This happens very rarely. You have been a part of Team India. Do you think there is a collective vision in the team, which does not change with a change of captain or coach?
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You have talked about team spirit. Like you can tell us about the technical aspects of this team. But you know Rohit Sharma personally very closely. Have spent time with them. They have a different level. Apart from the Indian environment, there are many names like Big Following, Superstar, Hitman etc. But when you meet him, you think he’s the boy next door. Rohit talks like this. When we live like this openly with people, I believe there should be more people living with the team. How much does this affect the team environment we’re talking about? What is Rahul Dravid’s role in this?
Expectations were high in 2011 as well. There was no hope in 1983. There was no pressure at that time. But in 2011 there were high expectations because we were playing at home. Before that, the form of the Indian team was also very good. It was hoped that the Indian team would win. The biggest achievement for Mahendra Singh Dhoni is that he did what was expected of him. Home advantage is due to pitch condition. But the pressure is also high. You feel the pressure the fans put on my team up close.
At the same time, I also feel that there is going to be a test. Reaching the semi-finals or the last round is no longer a big target for the Indian team. You are right that we are yet to perform in knockout matches. When you look at the team, you feel that there are players who can perform well in big occasions. These are game changers and can win matches. After what Mahendra Singh Dhoni has shown through leadership, the responsibility of whoever will be the captain in ICC matches will be to win World Cup matches the same way you win other tournaments.
I have observed a few things recently. Like I saw the way KL Rahul was happy when Kuldeep Yadav took the wicket and he said something to him. When Akshar Patel played well, happiness was visible from inside. Now the atmosphere has changed a little. The team spirit has become more positive. They are influential at the world level and somehow it seems that even at the professional level they respect each other and the kind of pressure they are feeling, I did the same. A kind of mutual understanding has developed. It is a very important matter. Because this was not the atmosphere when we played. Everyone played to sustain themselves. Just yesterday I was talking to someone, from the couple of scenes I saw on TV, it was clear that the Indian team feels happy inside if someone performs better. Somewhere they see themselves in it. This pressure and the collective effort that everyone makes is somehow created by mutual respect for each other. Indian cricket team is very good these days.
There is no uniform leadership style. Different people have different methods. Mahendra Singh Dhoni had his own style. Kapil Dev had his own unique style. We won the World Cup under Kapil’s leadership. Perhaps the specialty of Rohit Sharma is that the players feel more comfortable with him. He is respected as a captain. There may not be such a formal relationship with anyone else. Another special thing about Rohit is that he is a very consistent player. It never seems like he is trying to project his image to anyone. They don’t do this to show people that I have such an image. It is what it is. Such people are very stress free. Few people living in public life are stress-free. There is a special thing about Rohit Sharma. This also helps him in captaincy.
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First published: September 21, 2023, 11:34 IST