RAJU_INTERVIEW_JAN95

Mohammed Azharuddin would not be wrong to consider himself a very unlucky captain, after India lost a golden opportunity to beat the West Indies in a Test series last month.

The West Indies playing with a depleted squad and trailing one nil in the three match Test series, were able to win the third Test in Chandigarh by a handsome margin and thus preserve their record of not having lost a single Test series since 1980.

India had everything going for it, helpful wickets, an inform Tendulkar and an excellent wicket taking left arm spinner in Venkatapathy Raju, but still Courtney Walsh and his men managed to save the series - not a bad performance at all.

The three Test series certainly ended in disappointment for Azharuddin and his team, but at least for one man, the series was a personal truimph. The series at least vindicated the expectations critics and colleagues had always had from the gutsy Raju, whose courage was never more apparent than on the fifth day of the third Test, when Walsh and Benjamin were firing them in, short and fast.

The little man stood firm at his crease to defy Walsh and company for well over an over, before the curtain fell on the Test. In a way his cameo innings was just another example of the guts and determination Raju has personified since making his debut.

Not many would have pulled big Merv Hughes`s moustache and got away with it. But then Venkatapathy Raju did, that`s because he is different. Refreshingly different. Few will understand this friendly, modest cricketer, who ended up with 20 wickets, the highes tally, from either side, in the just concluded series, overshadowing his more famous partner, Anil Kumble for once.

Raju believes there is more to life than the six hours on a cricket field. He loves to meet people, make friends and is modest to a fault. He is the senior most among the present trio of Indian spinners, and has had a haul of 31 wickets in the last 4 tests that India has played. Yet he underplays hia achievements.

Indeed there is more to `Mr. Muscles` than fun and frolic. In a way he is a tough competitor, having survived in the Indian team for over four years now. No laughing matter in a country where left arm spinners are a dime a dozen.

But than not many Indian spinners have taken 10 wickets in a Test match and Raju has accomplished this feat. Again no laughing matter.

Right from the moment he played in the youth Tests against the tough Australian squad, that contained the likes of Tom Moody in it, in the mid 80`s, he was tipped as one who could hit the big time. Raju has partly lived upto such expectations against the West Indies. And along the way the cheerful Raju has had to fight his own battles. He had to return home from the tour of England in 1990, due to an injury to his bowling arm. But Raju fought his way back into the team. During the tour of Australia in 1991/92, one saw a different Raju. One particular dismissal, that of Mark Waugh stands out. Waugh was done in by the flight and turn. The Hyderabadi was now flighting the ball more, though he had lost his arm ball, his main wicket-taking delivery early on.

In the home series against England, though Kumble was the strike bowler, Raju and Chauhan gave him excellent support. Raju too came up with a superb spell on the opening day of the Bombay Test. It was a victory for India`s new spin trio, which worked as a team. But Raju resents any comparisons with the greats of the past. The new boys have their place too.

With Maninder Singh on the wane, Raju is the number one left arm spinner in India now. A position for which he had striven hard and which he justified in the Wills Triangular World series final clash against the West Indies recently and then in the following Test series.

Indeed the story of the boy from rural Andhra Pradesh making it to the Indian team is quite fascinating. And Raju still retains some of that rustic charm.

It`s but natural that a blithe spirit like him is in demand while on tours. He has so many friends in the opposition, like Brian Macmillan of South Africa.

Every cricketer has his own way of living and playing. Raju too has his own style. Original, as this chat exemplifies.

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Q: How did you come to adopt this game?

A: My dad was the head of a village in Andhra. I was quite young, when I was put into a boarding school, St John`s in Gannavaram. There I used to play soccer and some other games. I used to play cricket on Saturdays and Sundays for fun`s sake. The real cricket started when I went to Hyderabad where I joined a Public School.

Q: You made it to the Ranji team quite early.

A: I had the advantage of being the only left arm spinner in my school at that time. In fact there were few left arm spinners in Hyderabad. Hyderabad is more famous for off spinners. When I made my de- but, Narasimha Rao was the leg spinner, while Shivlal Yadav and Arshad Ayub were off spinners. So my entry into the team was quite easy.

Q: Any early influences?

A: I used to play for Jaisimha`s team MCC and he is one of the shrewdest captains. I was lucky to play under him for a couple of years.When you play under him, you get to know what you are. He would come and give you useful tips, analyse with you. I really developed as a spinner here.

Q: Your Test debut was quite eventful wasn`t it?

A: My debut was in New Zealand in 1989-90. My first wicket was that of Martin Crowe, the first ball I faced in Test cricket was from Richard Hadlee. I took 3 wickets in the match and scored some 30 odd runs as a nightwatchman. We lost the match but my performance was all right.

Q: Then, on your next tour, to England, disaster struck just when you were beginning to look good.

A: I was not having a good tour. But in that particular match, against Gloucestershire, I was having a good game and had chances of getting into the team for the second Test when I broke my hand while negotiating a short ball and that too my bowling hand.

Q: But your comeback Test for India aw perhaps one of your best performances.

A: It was against the Lankans at Chandigarh. The wicket was damp though not at all under-prepared, but a slow one with low bounce. It was not a sharp turner. I had a couple of good days, good spells and picked up eight wickets in the match. Most of the Lankans tried to play shots on a wicket with low bounce and they fell into the trap. Actually I was lucky that immediately after my injury, I got a good spell in an Irani Trophy match. Shastri was the captain and he gave me a long bowl, so I was able to get into my groove.

Q: You started with a very good arm ball. Somewhere along the line you seem to have lost it.

A: Yah. I had a very good arm ball. But now it is not as deadly as before. I have lost it a bit. At the beginning, I used to bowl flat and quicker through the air but now, I have started to flight the ball more. In that way I have changed. Basically, it is due to to too many One dayers, in which your arm ball is bound to get hit.

Q: You mean to say that one day cricket affects spinners?

A: Sometimes if affects you, sometimes it helps you. Basically in Australia, the grounds are big which is an advantage for us. Many get caught on the fence so you can afford more risks. In India, the grounds are small and get tonked a bit.

Q: The tour of Australia in 1991-92 was a mixed one for you.

A: We had mixed luck. We could have won the third and fourth Tests but were unlucky.

Q: You had a particulary good spell on the first day of the final Test at Perth.

A: The wicket was bouncy and I bowled to a good length. But the bounce can cut both ways. If a batsman is playing shots the bounce helps him too. In that Test, I was bowling well till Tom Moody came in to bat - he is 6 ft 7 inches tall. At the other end Boon, who is considerably shorter was batting and he doesn`t take much risks in Test cricket. He usually plays from his crease. Moody on the other hand, was coming down and playing his shots. So I had to adjust my length. Moody played superbly.

Q: The tour also saw you bowling splendidly in the WSC series.

A: My best game in the WSC series was at Sydney. I made two dismissals which I treasure the most - I scalped Dean Jones and Mark Waugh. Jones who likes to attack jumped out, was completely beaten by the flight and stumped. But my next dismissal was even better, perhaps the best delivery that I have ever bowled so far in my life. That ball had flight and it also turned and jumped. Mark Waugh who stepped out had no chance of getting back. Getting wickets abroad in this fashion gave me a lot of satisfaction.

Q: The World Cup game against Australia must still be giving you sleepless nights.

A: Off the last ball, I thought Srinath had hit a six and went to congratulate him. I am sure a couple of Indians must have died of heart attack. India`s population would have come down that way!

Q: The series saw you, Kumble and Chauhan developing into a lethal combination.

A: Before Chauhan came, Kubmle and myself had played together for some time. Basically he is a tight bowler, while Kumble used his height and speed and was the strike bowler.

Q: Some say Indian spinners strike only at home...

A: Now we have more fast bowlers. Aborad they get more chances to bowl. Anyway Kumble bowled superbly in South Africa. If you bowl a good spell in India, they expect miracles from you. There are a lot of factors when we play abroad. In England, we play with Kookaburra balls which are soft and have a smaller seam. In India, we play with balls with bigger seam, the ball jumps and kicks. So abroad it takes some time to adjust, because of the seam, gripping the ball is also not the same.

Q: Lot of comparisons are made too...

A: One thing I don`t like is comparing us with other great spinners of the past. It doesn`t make sense. Myself, Kumble and Chauhan have played about 10 Tests together and are doing well. Kumble has about 80 Test wickets. I have about 60 and Chauhan about 40. And at this stage, comparins us with other greats puts more pressure on us. They played in more matches and took more wickets. There is no question of comparison. The times are different. Now we have a lot of One day games and even the tailender can come and tonk you with a heavy bat. They were a great set of bowlers, and I don`t deny that. But when we were coming up, they were at the fag end of their careers, we saw little of them.

Q: So the comparison hurts...

A: It hurts us sometimes. It doesn`t make sense. After a good match, if you are compared with someone like Bedi it isn`t fair. They were great bowlers of their time, but we too are doing our job.

Q: Bedi was your first manager in the Indian team, is it not?

A: Yah. Even when he was manager, Bedi would bowl at the nets. He used to toss the ball up a lot more and had a very easy action. Even at his age he could bowl for hours. That`s why he is great. Took more than 250 wickets. We would just watch in awe at the nets. It was a good experience watching him. The thing is nobody can deny the greatness of these four spinners. Between them they took more than 800 Test wickets. What we don`t like is the comparison because we are bowling in a different era.

Q: So, who was the left arm spinner who impressed you the most?

A: Dilip Doshi. He was a superb bowler who started late. But still he finished with more than 100 Test wickets ata very good strike rate.

Q: How do you react to criticism during a Test? A: Take this for instance. If you bowl well on a turner, and if someone says he took wickets because he bowled on a turning track and he is a no good bowler, then it is very unfair. Believe me it is not very easy to bowl on a turner.

Q: In what way?

A: You know the ball is turning and you are eager to get wickets. You spray a bit and a batsman who plays his shots can hit you out of the game. Sometimes you bowl something and after pitching it turns into something else. It is very difficult to control the extent of spin. Usually on turners, you tend to bowl more on the leg stump. In the Bangalore Test against Pakistan, Maninder took seven for 27 in the first innings on a stark turner. But in the second innings there was too much pressure on him when he bowled. People expected too much. There are also some good bowlers who are very good on flat wickets like Shivlal Yadav.

Q: In India, there are often allegations that the spinners put too much pressure on the umpire by appealing for everything. Are you really convinced when you appeal?

A: Look on a turning track, you don`t know whether it is coming off the pad or off the glove. If somebody is padding up, you can`t see whether the ball has brushed his bat or his glove while it turned or jumped. His front foot is obstructing your vision so you have to appeal. Your main job is to compete all the time. So you are appealing for a purpose, not for the sake of it. The umpire is always there and he is the one who is going to judge, but there are also times when you are trying hard.

Q: How do you gear up for a Test match?

A: You talk to your room-mate before the match. Then the seriousness comes back to you. Test cricket is not like One day cricket. Here you have to bowl long spells. You have to be focussed. How I prepare depends on the situation and the wicket.

Q: Anyone among the contemporary left arm spinners who has impressed you?

A: Sunil Subramaniam is very good. He is an attacking bowler.

Q: Till now, you have played under only one captain for India...

A: Yes, I am lucky, because Azhar understands me very well. He knows how to handle me. We both are from Hyderabad. He sets the field and then comes and talks to the bowler. We get along well.