Our special guest this episode is Dilip Vengsarkar – an Indian cricket legend in all aspects of the sport.
As a player, he was a central member of India’s fairy tale 1983 World Cup winning squad.
He was one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year in 1987 and that year also became India’s captain.
After retiring he became an administrator and was BCCI’s Chairman of Selectors when India won the first T20 World Cup in 2007.
He also runs multiple academies where he’s constantly finding and training the stars of the future.
This titan of cricket sat down with us at the NCL tournament in Dallas, and shared his thoughts on what makes a good selector, his storied career, and so much more.
Transcript
Zee: So we’re here at the National Cricket League playoffs with Indian legend, Dilip Vengsarkar. Dilip Bhai, thank you so much for taking time to speak with us.
Dilip: Thank you. Thanks a lot for having me here.
Zee: So, Dilip Bhai, I have a few questions to ask you. First, your impression about cricket in the U.S. and the path to growth for cricket in the U.S.
Dilip: Well, I came here for the first time in the early 80s, you know. And of course, as an Indian team, I think we played a few games here. And since then, I’ve not been here, and this is the first time I’m coming here after a long, long time. And I believe there are a lot of clubs here, especially on the East Coast and West Coast. But in Dallas, for the first time, this is a fantastic venue. I think NCL is going to rock. 60 Strikes is a great format, and I’m sure people will enjoy it. And this can only grow bigger and better.
Zee: So, let’s talk about the short formats. Because, obviously, during your playing career, there was test, there was ODI. There’s T20, which started afterwards, and T10. So, how do you feel about the short formats, and especially this T10 format?
Dilip: See, T20 started in 2007 in India, 2007-2008, with the IPL. Actually, the Indian Cricket Board was the last board to accept that format. And when we went to South Africa for the first time, for the T20 World Cup, I was the Chairman of the Selection Committee. And we picked Dhoni as the captain that time. And we picked the side that won the World Cup, the inaugural World Cup in South Africa. And since then, I think IPL just took off. And IPL has become a very, very big product. Extremely popular all over the world. And now the T10 format, which is shorter. I hope it doesn’t get shorter than this. I think T10 is fine. T10 is fine. Because that gets over in one hour’s time. So, it’s exciting. And I’m very happy to be part of this.
Zee: So, Dilip, I want to talk a little bit about your career and the perspectives that you bring. You mentioned the 2007 World Cup. Obviously, you are a member of the legendary 1983 World Cup winning India team. You, as a World Cup champion, tell me what your feelings were this year when India won the T20 World Cup.
Dilip: Since 1983, India has been doing extremely well. I think they are doing very well in all formats of the game. It’s not only the shorter format. But even Test Match Cricket, they are number one. In ODI, they are number one. And now, in the T20, they won the World Cup. So, it’s a good thing. I’m very happy because I think IPL has thrown open a lot of talent in India and across the world. So, now, if you see, the bench strength of the Indian team is quite strong. And that is very, very important. And that augurs well for Indian cricket.
Zee: I agree with what you are saying about the Indian team being strong. At the same time, they won this World Cup after many years of not winning a World Cup. In 2023, they lost in Ahmedabad. They haven’t quite gotten over the line in T20 since the inaugural one. What was different about this India team that won the World Cup that actually brought India?
Dilip: Well, anything can happen in this format. I think any team can beat any side. If you go back and see that match, India was in South Africa. At one stage, South Africa was winning the match. You know, till Surya Yadav took that catch. And things turned around. So, anything can happen at any point of time. But the thing is that the Indian team did very well. As you said, they haven’t won much in the ICC. But they are always in the last four in the finals. I mean, they just didn’t win the final. But they are there. And now since they won the final, I think it is a winning streak for them.
Zee: Yeah, and you are right. Look, in these formats, they are closely fought matches. Anything can happen. I was at Kensington Oval. I remember in the press booth when South Africa needed 30 off 30. Everyone thought it was a foregone conclusion. But there was a lot of fight in the team that won and prevailed.
Dilip: Yeah, I mean, they are an experienced team. And all the players are young players. But they are very experienced. Because of the IPL and all these games they are playing in India. Because the Indian Cricket Board has organized 10 to 12 test matches per year. And then ODIs also. And plus T20 also.
Zee: So, let’s go back 40 years then. Obviously, India is the powerhouse now. It is the center of the cricket world. But in 1983, that was not the case. In 1983, you were the underdog. So, tell me about the feeling and the experience of lifting that World Cup when it was not expected of India.
Dilip: In 1983, we were the least expected to win the World Cup. But having said that, I think we had the belief. I think this is very important. And Kapil Dev, I think in Zimbabwe, played fantastic in his 175. We were 17-5 at one stage. And he won the match and bowled brilliantly also. So, that spurred the entire team to do well in the tournament. I think that motivated everybody. That inspired everybody. And then we beat England in the semi-finals. And in the final, as you know, what happened.
Zee: I mean, just to reflect on that. You later became the captain of India. You had a long-storied career afterwards. But in that moment, which when we look back, I think and a lot of people think is one of the most important moments in cricket history. It was an underdog winning the World Cup. But it was what really set India on the path to get to where it is now. When you look back at your career, how do you feel about the fact that in one of the most important moments of Indian cricket history and global cricket history, you were there and you were central?
Dilip: See, in 1983, World Cup win, that was very important. And then in Australia, in 1984-85, we won the Benson And Hedges tournament. Anyway, where we won against Pakistan in the finals. And also in the first league match against Pakistan in that tournament. And we beat everybody absolutely emphatically. Apart from that, we beat England in England. Where I scored my third test match at the lost cricket ground. And India won the test match for the first time in England. At the lost cricket ground. Not in England, but at the lost cricket ground. But since then, if you see, the graph of the Indian team is quite high. Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, M. S. Dhoni, Rohit Sharma. All those guys come in and they are doing an absolutely great job.
Zee: You mentioned Lords and I wanted to ask you about that. You had three centuries at Lords.
Dilip: I scored my first hundred at the lost cricket ground in 1979. And in 1982 and 1986. In 1990, I scored 52. I was very keen to score the fourth hundred.
Zee: Tell me about how special that ground is. And what it’s like hitting a century in that historic hallowed ground.
Dilip: Well, Lords is always the headquarters of cricket. And we used to listen to the commentary. India, England, England, Australia. And every cricketer’s ambition is to play at Lords. And I was no exception. When I went there, if you see some of the grounds you get really good, positive vibes. And for me, Lords was one of the grounds where I got good, positive vibes. And when it’s full house, the atmosphere is absolutely electrifying. And you want to do well on that ground. Come what may. And when there’s such an atmosphere at the ground, you tend to do well. And you do your best all the time.
Zee: So fast-forwarding, Dilip, one other area I want to ask you about is, you mentioned you were the chairman of the selectors at the BCCI in the mid-2000s. And that was, among other things, you selected a team that won the 2007 World Cup. In general, because you have this incredible experience, what makes for a good selector and a good job by a selector?
Dilip: See, what really helped me was that from 2000 to 2004, I was in charge of talent spotters. And my team spotted a lot of talent. I think we should play for India. And then we groomed that talent in NCA Bangalore, National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. In the NCA, at that time, there was a supply line to test cricket in those days. And when I became a selector, I knew each and every player and what they are capable of doing in international cricket. See, basically, I think those guys are mentally tougher. And you have to bank them. As a selector, you must have courage and conviction. And if you back somebody, then you give them a long rope. And that’s what we did. And when I took over as the Chairman of the Selection Committee in 2007, India was fifth in the ICC ranking. But in two years’ time, we were number one in all formats of the game.
Zee: Absolutely.
With three formats, there are some specializations, right? You’ll have some players who will only play white ball cricket, right? Won’t play test. And you’ll have players who will retire from some formats and not others. You played in an era where everyone played every format. Do you think the sort of specialization that we’re seeing now is good for the game? Or do you prefer to see players playing Ross formats?
Dilip: Well, if players play across the format, it’s a great thing. But some players, I think, want to play only ODIs, you know, and a shorter format of the game. But then it’s okay with them, in the sense about how you identify them and pick them, it’s up to the selectors.
Zee: So the last area I want to speak to you about, Dilip Bhai, is even besides being a selector, you have been involved even at the earlier stage of development in academies, right? You’ve run multiple academies. You’ve started multiple academies. Where you are finding very young players and you’re developing young players. Tell me about, you know, there’s a lot of academies in the US, right, that are trying. And they don’t always have the right approach because they don’t have the experience. What makes for a good academy and administration and management of academies that leads to success?
Dilip: It’s very, very important, especially in places like the USA. You know, in Mumbai, where I come from, you know, we have an inter-school tournament, inter-college tournament, inter-club tournament, interoffice tournament. You know, we have a lot of tournaments. You know, then we have, I mean, under-12 tournament, under-14 tournament, under-16 tournament, under-19 tournament. So the kids get to play a lot of tournaments. Here in the USA, I think there’s no cricket in school. You know, so you have to develop that thing in school cricket. And the important thing is that they will have to train the coaches here. So when, and if you start inter-school tournament, inter-college tournament, that will help the game to grow here. And this is a beautiful ground. I think you can start a cricket academy here. I think NCL can start its own academy. But it has, but the players must come forward. And if you get the local players, that will be the icing on the cake.
Zee: Dilip, I cannot thank you enough for taking the time. It’s an honor for us to have a legend like yourself join us. And we look forward to seeing everything else you do.
Dilip: Thank you very much. Thank you so much. Thanks for having me here.
Name of Author: Zee Zaidi
