INDIA HAS HAD a fantastic season, becoming number one in Tests and beating everyone at home. Your thoughts.
It has been a brilliant season. I don’t think I can ask for anything better in terms of performances, attitude and adaptability. Virat [Kohli] has been exceptional as a leader. The players have responded to whatever has been asked of them.
The individual progress of players is tangible.
It is the hunger and desire. They all realised before the West Indies series that this would be a long Test season. Everyone wanted to play Test cricket, and that has been the hallmark of this team. In the past 17 Tests, close to 25 players have come in and gone out, but all have contributed.
Virat’s openness and attitude were the most important factors. The focus has been inward, rather than on the opposition. We have been creating benchmarks, and trying to tick all the boxes.
Under your watch, India has used five bowlers successfully. It was a gutsy call.
The batsmen took on that added responsibility. We have got 23 centuries in 17 Tests, which included a triple hundred, five double hundreds and 17 hundreds. Of those 17, six came from the lower order, which also scored 16 half centuries. That’s the hallmark. You give responsibility, you throw up the challenge and they have to take it.
India seems to have found the elusive all-rounder, especially within the five bowler setup. You have many options now.
We tend to look at fast bowling all-rounders. But, we have two spin bowling all-rounders [Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja] and also Jayant [Yadav]. And, our wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha can score runs in challenging situations. He has grown in confidence, and has been brilliant behind the stumps. Even Parthiv Patel [wicketkeeper], who filled in for three matches, performed well.
How has Jadeja evolved from a one-dimensional, limited overs player to a match-winner in Tests?
In India, people tend to bracket certain players; it is unfortunate. I was certainly a candidate for that when I first came in [laughs]. I am really happy for Jaddu. People said he would be successful only on turning tracks, and that his batting was only about flamboyance. [But] he has shown maturity. He has shown that he can beat the batsman in flight and still pick up wickets. He took 71 wickets this season.
We did a little bit of work. He was trying to undercut the ball a bit more. He started bowling slightly over the top. [He] spun the ball a bit more and got a lot of drift. He has the most natural action, very smooth. He is also fit.
Kohli said India now has a bowling unit that can win abroad. What work was put into achieving this?
Yes, I think so. We addressed what we could measure, which was consistency in terms of line and length. The target was—how many balls can you bowl in one area. It was simple stuff—how many can you bowl in one line? And, we kept monitoring that. That’s all we did. There is no rocket science to bowling. It is all about consistently landing the ball in one area and putting pressure on the batsmen. Overall, the fast bowlers’ response to all conditions has been fantastic.
Is this a coming-of-age series?
The team showed a lot of character to bounce back and win the series after being one down. It says a lot about a team when, despite its skipper not playing the series decider, it still got the job done with aplomb. And, taking a punt at playing five bowlers worked. It was brilliant.
Was that your call?
No, I think all of us collectively took a call. At the end of it, one might take whatever call, but if the captain and the players are not comfortable with it, then that is the end of it.
