Riding high on a highly successful second stint, Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin today shook off his normally reticent demeanour to blast the establishment for the cramped schedule of the Pepsi tri-series. ``It's very hot. A gap of at least two days should have been there between the matches ...there should be some time for rest. We can't recuperate with just a day's gap between matches,'' said Azharuddin, after the Indian team's two-hour practice session at the Ferozeshah Kotla today.Anshuman Gaekwad, having settled down comfortably in his role as team coach, was more forthright in his rejoinder. ``The scheduling should not only help the board but also the players. There should be some communication between the board and players. Either one of us or both should be consulted. It is a serious problem,'' he fumed.
Shaking his head in disgust, Gaekwad then revealed that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had informed the coach and captain of the itinerary only after the dates were finalised.``It all depends on how much cognisance the Board takes of our view,'' he said.
Even as Azharuddin nodded his head in agreement, Gaekwad called for better communication between the board and the players in the future. Azharuddin then spelt out the schedule for the Sharjah Cup (April 17 to 24) before adding, ``It is also tough.''
Significantly, when reminded that the BCCI had always stuck to the stand that the captain and coach are consulted on the intinerary issue, both Gaekwad and Azharuddin indicated to the contrary. Gaekwad, then, went on to detail the team's travails while travelling from Kanpur to Cuttack for the Zimbabwe match on April 9. ``We went from Kanpur to Lucknow by road in the morning, took the flight to Delhi, then to Bhubaneswar and again by road to reach Cuttack,'' he explained.
.....Why say this now?: Lele
After Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin and coach Anshuman Gaekwad took on the system for the tight scheduling of the Pepsi tri-series curently underway here, the BCCIsecretary, JY Lele hit back by asking, ``Why are they saying this now, when the series is almost over? Why didn't they say this before?'' Lele added that the Board had not consulted the coach and skipper because, ``Gaekwad was not the coach and Azharuddin was not the captain when the itinerary was finalised.'' According to him, ``This was done during the ICC meeting last year when Sachin Tendulkar was the captain." But Lele refused to elaborate. " Let me read what they have said. I will react accordingly,'' he added.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
