A triumph to savour

Faisal Shariff | Prem Panicker

Bob : Is it possible to get cricket match recordings in India?
Faisal Shariff : I'm sure that they will have some package ready in a few weeks. Like the one they packaged when Laxman scored 281

Faisal Shariff : :)

Bob : Faisal: The DVD/VHS is only available from Cricinfo in the US. And it's very expensive. Was hoping to get a VCD or something in India.
Faisal Shariff : Why don't you send me your email ID and I will see if I can send you a VCD of the game.

vinay : Hi prem, good to hear from you. how have you been? missing your match reports and analysis. However, Faisal is doing a great job!!!
Faisal Shariff : Hey Vinay.....owe you half of this month's salary now ;)

vinay : Vinay here. Faisal, no really. I really like the way you are doing the analysis dividing the innings of both countries and a cover paragraph. Keep it up!!
Faisal Shariff : Hey thanks for that..but its never easy after the standard that Prem has set.

vinay : Aatish, Yuvraj is injured and coming back to India. But yes, he should have been included. He is on a confidence high and would have done well.
Faisal Shariff : I don't think it is important that Yuvraj was included. The greatest aspect of Yuvraj's game is his temperament and the guy knows he is good.

Roshan : Prem Faisal, its Roshan. Hey Faisal, what was that you said abt Kaif last time we met? :))
Faisal Shariff : Hey Hey!!! You got me on that one.

megastar : Faisal, Of late there has been a tremendous improvement in the emotion and quality of your match reports. It is becoming a pleasure to read your match reports.
Faisal Shariff : Many thanks megastar.....im glad and thats heartening

srikant : Just a take off on Beckam's question? Faaisal U r sitting in Bombay and watching the match? How can u then write in ur match report about SRT and dravid not being in the balcony etc. I think that is a pretty inane statement to make. They probably were disappointed...but casting insinuations like that in your match report doesn't speak too highly about urself!!!
Faisal Shariff : Sri, I reported what I saw and yes I could be wrong but at that time when Tendulkar and Dravid could have been there at the balcony pushing their team mates in the middle.

dar : Hi Prem & Faisal. Love your coverage on rediff! DO you think it is time the Indian time employed a full time bowling coach?
Faisal Shariff : It is a very good idea but needs to be implemented with thought rather than reputations. Kapil Dev is supposed to be working with the fast bowlers. We haven't heard much about that.

vs : Hi Prem,Faisal: Do you agree that this Indian batting lineup is the best one day lineup in the world???
Faisal Shariff : Yes, as of now I think India hsa the best batting line-up but we will need to tell ourseves that there won't be too many days when we will chase 300 plus totals and great sporting comebacks should not be equated with consistency. We have to get our bowling in order now that we have three quality seam bowlers and two spinners

pankaj : faisalprem, i am really confused about ajit agarkar...sometimes he is great sometimes he is pathetic..do you think the indian teamm needs him
Faisal Shariff : Ajit Agarkar has come of age. He is a good first change bowler and the reverse swing he gets with the old ball works well for INdia. I think axing him from the West Indies tour was very good. He now knows that he will have to show wickets instead of just potential and promise to be in the team.

AB : Prem/Faisal,When we have stalwarts like Sunil Gavaskar,Kapil Dev,Ravi Shastri,Dilip Vengsarkar ,Mohinder Amarnath to name a few ,do you think it makes sense to appoint a foreign coach?
Faisal Shariff : Like I said earleir in the chat lets not go by reputations. The Kapil Dev experiment has fallen flat on its face. These names that you have mentioned are big personalities; their reputation will never let them do the homework required to help a team perform better.

jitendra : HI Faisal: One thing that disappointed me about your match report was the statement that tendulkar and dravid were nowhere to be seen....Is it the press's job to foment misunderstanding when there might be none!!!
Faisal Shariff : Please lets get this clear. If you saw the way Tendulkar was dismissed and the earlier dismissal against England in the league phase it would get you thinking. I mean, here is the man second only to the Great Don Bradman and what does he do when the team needs him to play an intelligent innings -- not even an extraordinary innings-- and what does he do....throw caution to the wind and lose his wickets. Even Ganguly was dismissed but yet he sat there at the balcony. What would it be like for Yuvraj and Kaif to have Sachin and Rahul standing there and cheering every run they scored.

Hari : you said it faisal about sachin and dravid. probably they did not want to see the youngsters stealing the limelight
Faisal Shariff : Maybe, thats not what I mean. I am merely saying that it was important that they stood there and egged the gys on. You can't let your own failure affect the team morale. Fine Tendulkar and Dravid failed, no big deal. With the contributions that they have made to bring the world's attention to India cannot be denied.

anshu : faisal do u think tht sehvag and kaif shu b in india test team as opener and middle order batsmen in place of das and laxman
Faisal Shariff : Sehwag for Das sounds interesting but my dear friend Kaif for Laxman sounds unrealistic, at least for now. I think that Kaif should be in the team and breathing down the neck of Laxman. That will augur well for the team just the way I think there should be a third opener for the Test squad

gauravmehta : THis is a bit out of way , BUT don't U THINK that NAYAN mOnGIA deserves A PLACE in tHis 11 ???
Faisal Shariff : If you look behind, thats where you go. It makes sense to look at the Ratras, and Parthiv Patels for the future. Kiran More tips Ratra to stay around for a long time.

srikant : Faisal a clarification: SRT was not dismissed by Giles before in the tournament. He played those inside out shots in the league matchse to score the 100 n.o. His choice of shots in the final may have been wrong. But he was just doing what he had been successfulk with in the earlier games. Can't fault him for that??The other qustion about VVSL's place in jeopardy in Tests is ridiculous talk. Here is a guy who scored the most runs in WI and just 'cos he failed in one ODI doesn't mean that his place shud be up for grabs??
Faisal Shariff : I have one question for you. Did we need Mr Tendulkar at that point of time to smash the bowlers around?

vinayawasthi : Prem/Faisal: In this euphoria, are we all not ignoring addresing the team's blindspot- our bowling. We should not have to chase a 325! Somehow bowling has not come across as "playing 21st century cricket". And mostly everyone seems to be having ideas about how to better our batting - which is working anyway!!
Faisal Shariff : If you go through some bowling records you will notice that more often that not it has been the rich batting line-up that has been the reason for the defeats overseas. The Lord's wicket was a flat track. There were runs for the taking and I don't mean that we didn't bowl badly. But in one-dayers even the good balls can go darting to the fence.

Vidhyash : Faisal/Prem ... do you think this team is good enuff to win the world cup with the tiring schedule ahead ?
Faisal Shariff : If the board takes into account the taxing schedule on the players and decides to cut short some tours and organise a conditioning camp instead it would be great.

samirg : Hi Prem/Faizal, should Sachin take a sabbatical and come back refreshed before the World Cup and is loss of captaincy the reason for his disinterested approach in important games?
Faisal Shariff : Sachin is not out of form, so whast with the sabbatical bit? Tendulkar should just begin to believe that he is a part of the cog and not take undue pressure when early wickets fall. It's time he stop thinking that if he fails India loses. That myth was torn to bits years ago though e.g Eden Gardens versus Australia

coold : Prem and Faisal, I am in the USA and was a great fan of Phil Jacksons Chicago Bulls. I see parallels with the Indian (also maybe pakistani) tams. Very talented but beed focus. I truly believe we dont need a change of team but we need the team to get into some meditation. Phil Jacksongot his team into Zen meditation. I think we need to play calmly and we will win many more. What do you think think ?
Faisal Shariff : It's really a case of each player believing in the wolves philosophy. The strgnth of the pack is the wolf and vice versa.

aqwa : MY million $$ suggestion: DROP DRAVID AND TENDULKAR AND BRING IN FAISAL AND PREM!! At least they will watch the match from the Balcony!! :)
Faisal Shariff : *Grin* Promise I would...imagine the view from the Lord's balcony ;)

mrd : PREM/FAISAL. DO YOU THINK ALL THE FUSS SORROUNDING TENDULKAR IS JUSTIFIED??? AGREED HE HAS BROKEN A LOT OF RECORDS AND STUFF, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT HIS CONTRIBUTIONS WITH THE BAT DURING THE CRUCIAL TIME IT IS HARDLY NOTHING... TAKE THE FINALS FOR EXAMPLE .... HIS CONTRIBUTION WAS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE OTHER. THEN WHY ALL THIS FUSS.... IS IT BECAUSE WE INDIANS NEED A ICON TO LOOK UP TO AT ALL TIMES...
Faisal Shariff : Tendulkar's role in the team is rather tricky. He is easily one of the greatest run accumulators. But I am not so sure about his ability to finish games off his own bat. and I say this even though I beleive that cricket is a team game. But we are talking about Tendulkar -- the greatest batsman since the Don --- there has to be something special about the team he plays for too instead of his own milestones.

casanova : Well, Prem just said that Agarkar was coming of age and that he MUST be in the Indian sqaud and that he is a good first change bowler, and he just answered that One can never figure out what Agarkar is all about. Gusy - this is crap - Prem/Faisal think no one read this ,, but hey,, I am reading everything, and there will soon be an article on this,, so watch what you say. Prem/Faisal. --SEE THEY WILL NEVER PICK THIS ONE
Faisal Shariff : dear casanova, Prem and i work for the same organisation but have out own opinion on issues. Why would you warn us about that.

cozile : Hi Prem/Faisal, will it would be better to include one more seamer say, V.K. Prasad, or Mohanty in the indian squad..
Faisal Shariff : Dennis Lillee said that Venkatesh Prasad would be a good bet for the World Cup in South Africa. Mohanty should have been in England. T A Sekhar in an interview to our colleague Ashish Magotra he said that Mohanty should be the first name pencilled in when the bowling squad for England is picked.

NAIR : Is it not a good idea to have a specialist wicket keeper who is also a good batsman rather than putting the burden on Dravid ?
Faisal Shariff : The problem my friend is that we have been unable to find that "specialist wicket keeper who is also a good batsman ". So until the World Cup in South Africa its going to be Dravid.

vikaschandra : Prem, Faisal _ how old are you two..and howlong you have been following cricket
Faisal Shariff : You will have to enter the smoke-filled cafe for those questions to be answered ;)

testlover : Look at the tour game against WI A that just began. Das and Jaffer are gone early. I do not know what's with this Das that nobody in the media talks about his repeated failures.The selectors have given him plenty of chances. Take the case of Ramesh. Even when he was peforming against good attacks there was talk about his technique and everything. Increasingly I think that soembosy powerful in the BCCI has Das as his prospective son-in-law
Faisal Shariff : Coach John Wright thinks hihgly of the young opener and beleives in him. So does the skipper and his deputy. Now isn't that reason enough......?????

Rajesh : seeing the current form, who do you think will win the Champions cup in SL? India?Pak? Aus? NZ? IS THIS QUESTION OUT OF CONTEXT OR WHAT?? I FIND YOU ANSWER RUBBISH QNS LIKE HOW OLD R U, WHAT IS UR SEX, COME TO THE POINT MAAAAAN!
Faisal Shariff : I hope it is India...but in a knock-out it is really tough to chose. I think India and South Africa have a great chance.

sushil : Hey F A I S A L are you narcist? Do you answer only those who praise you?
Faisal Shariff : Yes! See I am answering you now.

xyz : india winning the world cup is a joke. have we forgetten how our batsmen jump on the bouncy tracks in sa ?
Faisal Shariff : We have played well in the one-day series in SA. Yeah ew lost the finals but then we did that eight times before that as well and on palcid wickets of Sharjah on four occassions. The bouncy tracks in a one-dayer don't matter too much. And with the belief nw..i am sure we can win there as well.

krt : What do u think are some of the WRONGS committed by WRIGHT?
Faisal Shariff : He is too much of a nice man to be embroiled in the politics of Indian cricket. I think he has let the senior players have their way without putting his foot down. But then we must realsie that he is a foreigner who is insecure about his own job.

Jargon : Prem/Faisal- do u think Dal me kaala wants to win WCUP, agree ??
Faisal Shariff : Dalmiya has proved and survived all that was thrown at him. He now wants India to win the World Cup so that he goes down as a great administrator of the game. And as long as he does that.....we and no one bothers about anything else.

sai : prem/faisal, when you look at the Aus/Pak/SA teams each of them has a good bowling attack in part because they all have atleast 1 very fast bowler. dont you think our "right/left arm medium fast" bowlers are an absolute waste when it comes to creating pressure by sheer intimidation ? PLEASE ANSWER. I HAVE BEEN POSTING LIKE CRAZY AND THE ONLY QUESTIONS THAT ARE BEING ANSWERED AND ARE ADDRESS/ZIPCODE QUESTIONS !!! AM I IN THE WRONG CHAT ROOM ?
Faisal Shariff : Bowling is really not about gestures and intimidation. And the one mistake we make quite often is with this fixation for fast bowlers. Sri Lanka won the world cup without a great fast bowler and like former Aussie coach Bobby Simpson says India should look to find swing bowlers more than fast bowlers.

vicky : Faisal can you please improve your match reports? They look more like cricinfo.com's ball to ball update. give us(who dont get to watch the matches live) more in depth analysis. Thanks
Faisal Shariff : Point noted pal! Hope to get better with each game.

livechat : Prem/Faisal, I asked you a question about purchasing world cup seats in a shaded area, something like VIP tickets, is it possible, if so how?
Faisal Shariff : The World Cup tickets for public will start from December 2 2002. Till then tough!

asdaasdad : I would like to see rediff start a series on world cup and look at the team build up and startegies being planned by various teams and with a look at non-test playing teams we surely wont need another olanga to come along and spoil the party for india ... if we can have a features on world cup soon
Faisal Shariff : That is a great idea and we will have something like that in place quite soon. Watch this space.

ambika : prem/faisal r my questions too tough for u? if not then get up from ur asses and and answer them
Faisal Shariff : Hey Ambika, cricket conversations and debates are like beauty contests...there are no wrong answers. Shoot!

vikaschandra : Prem, Faisal - What do you think of Jadeja who hasnt been proved half as guilty as Gibbs and still banned
Faisal Shariff : There is nothing much to think really. He, like Azharuddin, is history. Yeah, could have been good for Indian cricket, but with Yuvraj, Sehwag, mongia and Kaif ...we are not complaining

amukhop : PREM / FAISAL: why don't you sift through the questions here taht you *didn't* answer, pick a few, and post answers on the website in a day or two?
Faisal Shariff : Thanks for the suggestion. We will have that done.

girishk@rediffmail.com : Prem/Faisal, What do you guys think about Sri's retirement ? me thinks the team might miss him but personally, Sri has worked out things well for himself. Atleast, it looks so from his decision.
Faisal Shariff : Sri, for once is not a selfish guy. Of whatever I have learnt about him and the few times I met him, he comes across as a simple and honest guy. I don't think he is a political guy. Yeah, the team misses him and I think it was a tad early for him to hang his boots but then its better than having opinion polls where 90 per cent of the people say he should go

Faisal Shariff : See ya guys! Am outta here too

tokyo : hi faisal great win isnt it? shame could not see it.
Faisal Shariff : You bet it was easily the greatest games I have ever seen. Have never seen such method in Indian batting in years.

Faisal Shariff : See you guys soon. We will have another chat before the first Test at Lords on July 25.

Ams : I also remember Faisal being all praise for Kaif against one match against Srilanka where he took India to victory...In that match Kaif tried many hook and pull shots which were lucky not to be caught...Now this is called hypocrisy....Kaif is a good player but ppraise and target hinm equally...if that had been Ganguly/Sachin/Dravid Faisall mite have fired all his guns for them repeating the shots
Faisal Shariff : I think that is a wrong call. Even the best of players can get out on their favourite shots. Ganguly-Sachin-Dravid are seasoned campaigners.......pl don't compare them to Kaif already.

PanikkarP : FAISAL, WHATS YOUR EMAIL?
Faisal Shariff : faisals@rediff.co.in

Bharathoo7 : Faisal Prem,I sent prem 3 articles of mine. I put in a lot of effort in writing that and you did not publish it nor say why you didnt publish it. I am not an amatuer writer. I write articles in "The Hindu" and "times of INdia". You can show me a little more respect
Faisal Shariff : Apologies........will check with our sports editor Ivan Crasto and get back on that one. With due respect, yours truly

Faisal Shariff : Bye Guys! We'll meet again soon....

Faisal Shariff | Prem Panicker