Batsmen failed us: Binny

He is the one man in Indian cricket who has won the World Cup twice. The first time he did it was in 1983 as a player. Not just as a player, but as one who was the highest wicket taker in that competition. The second time was as coach of the Under-19 World Cup winning team. Roger Binny spoke to CricInfo from Bangalore on Saturday.

AV: You were part of the coaching programme of the Indian team in Bangalore. What do you think went wrong?

RB: Basically, the batsmen failed us. We never had enough runs on the board to take on a team like South Africa. The openers did not give us the starts we expected of them.

AV: But what really went wrong in the series? After all, it's easy to blame the selectors...

RB: No. I wouldn't do that. They have picked the side they thought best for the task. As I said, the team they chose did not put runs on the board. That's the bottom line.

AV: In the two Test series we had various openers, Wasim Jaffer was partnered by both VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid...

RB: It's important to have a solid opening partnership and groom them as a pair. Both Laxman and Dravid are good openers. But to ask them to open the innings against an attack like the South Africans is a tough task.

AV: But what really is wrong with Indian cricket? We are struggling with openers, wicketkeepers, all rounders and both fast and spin bowlers. Basically, it is only Dravid, Ganguly and Tendulkar who are solid performers.

RB: No. You can't say that. We have fast bowlers like Venkatesh Prasad and Ajit Agarkar who are good cricketers. It is just that the Indian team is going through a bad phase now.

AV: On a different note, how does it feel to be elected to the Legislative Assembly?

RB: I have been giving something back to the community all along with my coaching and my cricket academy. This is a good chance for me to do more for my community.

AV: You are going to Australia to upgrade your skills as a coach...

RB: Yes. I will be leaving soon. I hope to improve both my skills as a coach and my perspective of the game. The techniques they follow in Australia and South Africa are very interesting. They have specific exercises for specific skills. I hope to develop a better understanding of these exercises.

That's a straight talking professional for you. Roger Binny, who at 45 has seen it all. He is, in all likelihood, a future Indian coach. Indian cricket would certainly benefit from his presence as coach.