Interview with Hrishikesh Kanitkar: "I'm glad that I got a chance to represent my country at the highest level"

Kanitkar announced his retirement last week

Hrishikesh Kanitkar scored more than 10,000 runs in first-class cricket and led Rajasthan to Ranji Trophy title in consecutive years (2010-11 & 2011-12). A prolific batsman and a canny captain, Kanitkar is hugely respected in the domestic circuit for his incisive cricketing acumen and affable disposition.

But when it comes to the abiding memory of Kanitkar’s cricketing career, most cricket aficionados fondly remember him for biffing Saqlain Mushtaq over midwicket for a boundary to seal the Independence Cup final held in Dhaka between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in 1998.

He spoke with Sportskeeda on a range of topics soon after announcing his retirement from competitive cricket. Excerpts from the interview:

Q. Do you find it ironical that despite being a prolific batsman and a successful captain in the domestic circuit, and having played 34 ODIs and 2 Tests for India, your enduring memory among cricket fans boils down to that one boundary you clouted off Saqlain to seal the Independence Cup final in 1998?

Indian fans are extremely passionate about cricket and follow the game with tremendous enthusiasm. But the focus is mostly on international cricket. They are too occupied with their daily lives that few have the time to read or know about domestic circuit. Media too mainly concentrates on coverage of international cricket.

Hence, performances in domestic cricket do not get that kind of attention and appreciation as international cricket. Only few extremely devoted cricket fans are keen to keep a tab on domestic cricket.That’s the reason my boundary off Saqlain Mushtaq in the Independence Cup final is more remembered than all my feats in the domestic cricket.

Is it the only reason? What about that being the India-Pakistan match, that too a final of the Independence Cup?

Yes, you are right. Matches between India and Pakistan are always high-voltage encounters. And the fact that it was the final made it even more talked about. It was the

first time India chased the target in excess of 300. In fact, at that time, it was the highest ever successful run chase in the ODIs. Also, I hit the winning runs which is why perhaps my name is still associated with that match.

What was going through your mind before you tonked that boundary? Did you plan to hit it over mid-wicket? Was the pressure of playing against Pakistan in a humdinger playing on your mind?

Frankly, my mind was blank. There was not much time to think about pressure or strategize. There were a couple of balls remaining and we needed a boundary to win. It was as simple as that. I did inspect the field and observed which the vacant areas are, but I did not pre-meditate or pre-decide the shot.

It all depended where Saqlain would bowl, and what would be the kind of delivery he would bowl – off-spin or doosra. He bowled a doosra, and I instinctively hit it over mid-wicket. The shot was instinctive and it paid off.

After playing your trader with Maharashtra in Ranji Trophy for the major part of your first-class cricket, why did you decide to represent Rajasthan?

After Maharashtra, I moved to Madhya Pradesh and played as a professional for a couple of seasons. That’s when Rajasthan contacted me and showed interest in hiring my services as a professional.

They told me that I would be the captain of the side and put forth other terms of the contract. Since Madhya Pradesh didn’t need services of a professional from the next year, I decided to represent Rajasthan.

Rajasthan was languishing in the Plate group before your arrival. How did you transform the fortunes of the team overnight and led it to the Ranji Trophy title in the first season of your captaincy?

When I arrived in Rajasthan, I saw a lot of good talent there. There were few extremely talented individuals who needed proper guidance and nurturing. So there was no lack of talent and I had ample talented youngsters to choose from.

I got the team I wanted in the 99% of the cases; the selectors were really supportive and receptive to my suggestions. Before I came, there were a few factions in the team. I made it clear from the word go that we would play as a team, and there would be no fissures or groups in the team. Amity in the team is paramount for it to perform on the field. And then I made sure that the selections process is transparent and fair.

Each player must get optimum chances to demonstrate his wares. So I told the boys that I would back them to the hilt and they would not be axed after a one-off bad performance. That took away the fear of failure from them, and enabled them to express themselves assertively on the field. They were allowed to make mistakes but I ensured that they learned from those mistakes.

Once I earned their respect and trust, we played as a well-knit unit and there was no blame game. I made it clear that we would win or loss as a team, and no individual would be flayed or feted. So, no blame game as well as no credit-giving capers.

Did you think that an unheralded team of a Plate group would go on to win the Ranji Trophy?

Look, in the first year (2010-11) no one gave us a chance so there was nothing to lose as far we were concerned. The primary objective was to qualify for the Elite Group. We had a good team that included 3 professionals – Aakash Chopra, Rashmi Parida, and me. There were a couple of other seniors – Vineet Saxena and Pankaj Singh - who

were performing well. Even after we won the quarter-final against Mumbai in the first season, I deliberately did not talk about winning the trophy with the boys. Having played so much cricket, I knew it is easy to get carried and lose focus.

I told them to not (look) beyond one session and concentrate on present. I told them that pressure is on big teams since everyone is expected them to beat Rajasthan. No one would be surprised if they beat us. So just enjoy the game and take each session as it comes.

That was our mantra who stood us in good stead as we went on to beat Tamil Nadu (in semi-final) and Baroda (in final) to clinch the trophy. Youngsters like Robin Bist, Ashok Menaria, and Deepak Chahar stepped up and rose to the occasion. It was extremely heartening to see youngsters do well.

How different was the victory in second season (2011-2012) from the first season?

In the second season, I could not expound the underdog theory as we were the defending champions. So I told them that we have more experience and awareness about the contours of big-match pressure than Hyderabad (quarter-final) and Haryana (semi-final) so if we play to our potential we would be able to get the better of them. In the final against Tamil Nadu, we won the toss and piled up a huge score (621).

Then our bowlers came to the fore and dismissed the opposition for 295 on a flat wicket. That sealed the second consecutive title for us. Mind you, Tamil Nadu had a formidable batting consisting of Dinesh Karthik, Murali Vijay, Abhinav Mukund and S Badrinath – all of who have represented India in Tests.

Last question... You were toast of the nation after the Independence Cup final in 1998. But after that your international career didn’t pan out the way you would have wanted. Is there a sense of regret or sadness?

Yes, my international career didn’t shape up the way I had desired. But there is no regret or rancor. When I look at so many great domestic cricketers who didn’t play for India – Amol Mujumdar, Padmakar Shivalkar, Rajinder Goel to name a few – I count my blessings. I am glad that I got a chance to represent my country at the highest level.

There is perhaps a vestigial feeling that I could have been given a chance to play a couple of more Tests to come good. But these things are a part and parcel of cricket. Overall, I’m satisfied with what I have achieved, and there is no regret.