Arjuna Ranatunga is quite simply the most straightforward, hard-hitting man one will come across.
It was this character that spurred Sri Lanka to their first World Cup in 1996, and it is this trait that has helped him grow as a politician looking to serve Sri Lanka once again.
Ranatunga was in Bangalore recently to witness the T20 World Cup for the Blind and didn't have to talk cricket -- conventional at least — but when the topic did come up, the 49-year-old was more than eager to exchange his views. Excerpts:
What is your assessment of India's performance against England in the Tests?
I was very hurt when I heard some of the comments at the end of the third Test between India and England. Sunil Gavaskar said of the Indian team that when they were walking back after losing the third Test against England they were 'joking and smiling'. I don't understand how they can do that. When we lost we stayed in our rooms for a couple days. You don't feel like coming out to see your people because you have let them down. I'm glad I finished my cricket at the right place, at the right time.
I was telling these people when we came to India those days, to get India out twice was a dream. WhenI was a kid, it was (Sunil) Gavaskar, (Gundappa) Vishwanath, (Mohammad) Azharuddin etc, then there were the (Rahul) Dravids, the (Sachin) Tendulkars, the (Sourav) Gangulys and the (VVS)Laxmans. You don't even think of getting them out twice. Drawing a series and getting back home was like we won a series in India. But for India to bat two days must be a major issue.
Has the quality of Indian spinners gone down?
They don't have a single spinner who can turn the ball. Back in the day it was a nightmare for us, let alone the Australians and the Englishmen. We had to play spinners like Maninder Singh... We were lucky we did not have to face (BS)Chandrashekar, (Bishan Singh) Bedi or (Erappali) Prasanna. We struggled with the other bowlers itself. And today, England come and massacre India's spinners. I don't think it's right to blame anyone now. They should just address the cause.
Would you say Sachin Tendulkar's 'retirement' situation is similar to what Sanath Jayasuriya had to face towards the end of his career?
I would not compare those two. Tendulkar could survive with his technique but Jayasuriya played till 40 because of the political support he got from the president. That is the biggest crime we did in our country. The present president invited him to contest in the elections before his retirement.
He should have entered politics after retiring not before that. Lot of unwanted things happened in the last few years. I moved to the opposition because of that. But see the problem is that the country is in a mess, it's not just cricket. If you get the country right, cricket will fall into place.
Do you think the increase in the number of T20s has had a part to play in India's below-par performance?
You can clearly see the impact of T20s. The way the Indians are promoting T20s is ultimately hurting them. They hardly have a good batsman left. That's the same thing happening back home. But when you take England, they are not stopping T20 but they are promoting the longer version.
They have different cricketers for each job. For example, you take Cook's attitude in Tests. You take Pietersen… he can change for the cause of the team, but it hasn't happened in our part of the world. I think that's the saddest part.
Is cricket at a better place now than when you left?
WhenI played cricket it was a different era where we were very concerned about the game and very concerned about winning and representing the country. We were brought up with such principles. It is totally different now. In our days, we didn't dream of going and playing in private tournaments, opting out of playing Tests. These days even the players don't want to say anything because they are getting money. If I was the captain, I would have told the board to let us play more Test cricket. You take Sangakkara and Jayawardene… their cricket days are over but the problem is that the younger lot will be affected by this.
Countries like England and Australia know the impact of T20 cricket. They promote T20s but they also give a lot of importance to the longer format as well. They build cricketers by encouraging the longer version. Back in the day when we used to come to India, we used to see huge crowds but now there are less than forty percent crowds present at venues. That's the bad message you send to the younger lot. This issue is seen in Sri Lanka as well. I have been telling them about this for a long time but they don't want to listen.
How would you propose to change the way cricket is being organised and played?
The best way is for another four years IPL (Indian Premier League) players shouldn't be getting too much money. Say maybe $1000 for a match. The rest of the proceeds goes to a cause in the world. For four years, people are paid just about enough. I'll tell you not even one percent of the these people will play. Even the past cricketers. This is the problem.
They get hold of all the past cricketers and make them coaches or mentors so they can't speak. Even I got an offer but I said for me earning money and ruining cricket is not the right thing. So I prefer not to get involved. I'm very glad that Ehsan Mani (former International Cricket Council president) made a statement recently saying that the 'IPL has created a monster'. I have been saying this for a long time. I think IPL should be there but in a lighter vein.
It was this character that spurred Sri Lanka to their first World Cup in 1996, and it is this trait that has helped him grow as a politician looking to serve Sri Lanka once again.
Ranatunga was in Bangalore recently to witness the T20 World Cup for the Blind and didn't have to talk cricket -- conventional at least — but when the topic did come up, the 49-year-old was more than eager to exchange his views. Excerpts:
What is your assessment of India's performance against England in the Tests?
I was very hurt when I heard some of the comments at the end of the third Test between India and England. Sunil Gavaskar said of the Indian team that when they were walking back after losing the third Test against England they were 'joking and smiling'. I don't understand how they can do that. When we lost we stayed in our rooms for a couple days. You don't feel like coming out to see your people because you have let them down. I'm glad I finished my cricket at the right place, at the right time.
I was telling these people when we came to India those days, to get India out twice was a dream. WhenI was a kid, it was (Sunil) Gavaskar, (Gundappa) Vishwanath, (Mohammad) Azharuddin etc, then there were the (Rahul) Dravids, the (Sachin) Tendulkars, the (Sourav) Gangulys and the (VVS)Laxmans. You don't even think of getting them out twice. Drawing a series and getting back home was like we won a series in India. But for India to bat two days must be a major issue.
Has the quality of Indian spinners gone down?
They don't have a single spinner who can turn the ball. Back in the day it was a nightmare for us, let alone the Australians and the Englishmen. We had to play spinners like Maninder Singh... We were lucky we did not have to face (BS)Chandrashekar, (Bishan Singh) Bedi or (Erappali) Prasanna. We struggled with the other bowlers itself. And today, England come and massacre India's spinners. I don't think it's right to blame anyone now. They should just address the cause.
Would you say Sachin Tendulkar's 'retirement' situation is similar to what Sanath Jayasuriya had to face towards the end of his career?
I would not compare those two. Tendulkar could survive with his technique but Jayasuriya played till 40 because of the political support he got from the president. That is the biggest crime we did in our country. The present president invited him to contest in the elections before his retirement.
He should have entered politics after retiring not before that. Lot of unwanted things happened in the last few years. I moved to the opposition because of that. But see the problem is that the country is in a mess, it's not just cricket. If you get the country right, cricket will fall into place.
Do you think the increase in the number of T20s has had a part to play in India's below-par performance?
You can clearly see the impact of T20s. The way the Indians are promoting T20s is ultimately hurting them. They hardly have a good batsman left. That's the same thing happening back home. But when you take England, they are not stopping T20 but they are promoting the longer version.
They have different cricketers for each job. For example, you take Cook's attitude in Tests. You take Pietersen… he can change for the cause of the team, but it hasn't happened in our part of the world. I think that's the saddest part.
Is cricket at a better place now than when you left?
WhenI played cricket it was a different era where we were very concerned about the game and very concerned about winning and representing the country. We were brought up with such principles. It is totally different now. In our days, we didn't dream of going and playing in private tournaments, opting out of playing Tests. These days even the players don't want to say anything because they are getting money. If I was the captain, I would have told the board to let us play more Test cricket. You take Sangakkara and Jayawardene… their cricket days are over but the problem is that the younger lot will be affected by this.
Countries like England and Australia know the impact of T20 cricket. They promote T20s but they also give a lot of importance to the longer format as well. They build cricketers by encouraging the longer version. Back in the day when we used to come to India, we used to see huge crowds but now there are less than forty percent crowds present at venues. That's the bad message you send to the younger lot. This issue is seen in Sri Lanka as well. I have been telling them about this for a long time but they don't want to listen.
How would you propose to change the way cricket is being organised and played?
The best way is for another four years IPL (Indian Premier League) players shouldn't be getting too much money. Say maybe $1000 for a match. The rest of the proceeds goes to a cause in the world. For four years, people are paid just about enough. I'll tell you not even one percent of the these people will play. Even the past cricketers. This is the problem.
They get hold of all the past cricketers and make them coaches or mentors so they can't speak. Even I got an offer but I said for me earning money and ruining cricket is not the right thing. So I prefer not to get involved. I'm very glad that Ehsan Mani (former International Cricket Council president) made a statement recently saying that the 'IPL has created a monster'. I have been saying this for a long time. I think IPL should be there but in a lighter vein.