Interview

Aashish Kapoor is a much misunderstood cricketer. When he is at a cricket ground, he approaches the game in a very focussed manner. His intensity is there for all to see, whether he is appealing for a decision or watching the game. If anything, he sometimes comes across as an introvert. When he was 25 years old, he was considered too inexperienced to be taken on an away tour. How was he supposed to gain experience if he was never picked? Today, he is 29, and the fire to do well has not diminished. The whispers are doing the rounds that he is getting a bit old for the high adrenaline stuff. As it turned out, Kapoor earned a recall to Indian side after taking 50 wickets in the last Ranji Trophy season. He is not quite an angry young man anymore, but he would like to prove a point or two all the same. Just hours before it was announced that Kapoor had been selected in the squad for the fourth One-Dayer against the visiting Zimbabweans after a four year absence, he spoke to this correspondent in a CricInfo exclusive interview.

AV: When you started your career a long time ago you were young, enthusiastic and even a bit raw. Now that you have a lot of experience under your belt. You're 29 now and doing as well as ever. You picked up 50 wickets in the last Ranji season. How do you feel?

AK: I feel really good. The basic thing for anyone is to do well. The age doesn't really matter. I don't think 29 is too old or anything (laughs). If you take 50 wickets in a season at 25, or 29 or even 45 you'll feel good!

AV: How has all the experience helped?

AK: As you keep playing this game you learn so much from it. Basically that's where experience helps. You can see it in any player. As you keep playing more and more, you learn things that help you perform better.

AV: You started your career in Tamil Nadu, have played elsewhere and are now back. How has it been bowling in different conditions?

AK: I have played in three different zones now. I first played for Tamil Nadu and then moved to Punjab in the North Zone. After that I played in the Central Zone for Rajasthan. That was just one year. The wickets in the North and Central Zones are quite similar. The wickets in the south are different because they are made of red soil. This means there's more bounce for the bowler. It also helps the batsmen play their strokes. In places like Delhi, Kanpur or Jaipur, you can't cut or pull the ball even on a good batting wicket. This is because of the low bounce. Even when the ball turns, it is slow turn, not vicious at all.

AV: Making your debut for India must have been a very special moment

AK: Definitely. It was my father's dream that I should play for India. It was my dream as well, but first my father's dream. He sacrificed a lot for the sake of my cricket, whether it was the business or anything else. He spent so much time with me. It was a very memorable moment. I had left Tamil Nadu and went to Punjab. I performed well at the Zone level and was picked to play for India. I made a hundred in my first Duleep Trophy game and picked up seven wickets in the same match. I picked up five wickets in the next game, and that included the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar, Ravi Shastri and Sanjay Manjrekar. Then I picked up six wickets against West Indies, and had both Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul dismissed. When I got my Test cap, it was for the last match of the series. I had a Ranji Trophy match soon after and my mother was there for the game. I presented the cap to my father, so he could at least enjoy the feeling of holding the cap.

AV: You have batted low in the order and have been used as an opener. How do you look at yourself as a batsman?

AK: I have played all my junior cricket as an opening batsman. I still open the batting for my club. We play in national level tournaments all over the country. I have opened the batting all over the country. It's just that the state team has so many batsmen. At Tamil Nadu we have Sadagoppan Ramesh and Sridharan Sriram who are playing for the country. When they are around they are obviously going to open the batting. There are a few youngsters coming in as well. Then there's Robin Singh. As and when people go out on national duty things change. That way I have to keep adjusting my batting.

AV: When playing for the country you need to have a long run. But you never really got a good run. You played one match in a series despite being picked for the whole series. How hard has that been?

AK: It is certainly very difficult. If you know that you will be played continuously, if you do well, you are more settled. When you do well and are still not sure whether you are going to play in the next game, it's really very difficult for anybody. Take the Australian team. Everyone in the team knows that he is going to play. Now they are well established. Earlier, Ricky Ponting and now Mark Waugh, have got good runs despite not succeeding. That is the beauty of the system there - you are given enough time to succeed or fail. If you're good enough to be picked for the country, you should be given a chance to play continuously. If you bowl well in one match and have to sit out and watch it becomes very difficult. You sit on the sidelines and watch the team and again in the next series you get to play a game. You're there, and yet you're not really there.

AV: There still a lot of cricket left in you. If and when you do play for India in the near future, what would your approach be?

AK: My approach to the game has always been the same. I take my cricket very seriously. Whenever I am at the ground, whether in a friendly match or a Ranji match or for the country, my approach is the same. I don't think there is anything wrong with my approach. I couldn't have played for India for two years if my approach was bad. The approach I had then is still with me. I'll probably try and do even better this time around. That's not to say I didn't try last time around. With some luck I should do better.

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