IPL team chief executive dwells on the appointment of Zaheer Khan as the coach.
KOLKATA: The Lucknow Super Giants structured out in detail sorry are pleased to welcome Zaheer Khan as their mentor for the forthcoming season here on Wednesday.
“This will be my first time in a foreign country and it is going to be a challenge for me. As a diplomat, I have some responsibility in helping promote cricket in LSG,” Zaheer said. At that time, the Team owner Sanjiv Goenka said, “I needed somebody with a habit of winning and Zaheer comes with that habit.”
Goenka and Zaheer spared some moments and had an Interactive session with TOI on some relevant topics. Excerpts…
Are you retaining KL Rahul?
SG: Is it reasonable to expect us to give retention policy three months in advance? I mean which team is going to come on record and say who they are retaining? I do not think it will be right to expect us to share such information. Having said that however, Rahul has been very much and very much an integral and important part of the Super Giants family.
As far as I personally am concerned, he is my family. ZK: At this stage all we can say is that Rahul is a top man and he is the one. Who has been with Lucknow Super Giants from the beginning which is very remarkable. He appreciates what we do.
If he is kept, does that mean he will continue to be captain?
SG: At this moment, I do not wish to address retention or anything in relation to retention.
There has been much speculation regarding your conversation with Rahul following the team’s shocking defeat by SRH. What took place?
SG: In a news article, Justin Langer (the coach) has explained word by word what exactly had transpired. That’s basically what I was trying to say, repetitively (Langer has mentioned the incident as a storm in mug of espresso).
ECB has high hopes that whoever owns the IPL teams, would want to be part of the The Hundred. Do you want to?
SG: We are indeed looking at the possibility and whether we would want to or not depends on the terms and conditions and that we do not have at the moment until the documents tendering comes in.
ECB has made it clear that there will be no control given to the IPL owners…
SG: If you are not going to give control, then what for are we getting into it? We do not know as yet.
Zaheer, your opinion on impact substitute rule in IPL…
ZK: I prefer looking at the brighter side. A true jack of all trades, I believe cannot be defeated. There would still be a purpose in his being worth gold. But what is interesting about this rule is that it is allowing one more uncapped Indian player to take chances.
In the past two years you have witnessed that enough number of such players have got the opportunity because of this rule and they have shone. The future looks bright for them, something which you will notice in the mega auction when, such players procure good money.
Zaheer, you had the chance to be a great player and managing those players. What is your vision in becoming a new mentor of LSG?
ZK: I think that for this aim, I will yard and nurture the cricketing opportunities culture as a mentor which is also on institution. This team I am interpreting as quite a stable group whom I do expect to quite often engage in the playoffs.
In the course of eighteen years of IPL, we have observed the great struggles of a number of teams, but the fact that they are able to do this repeatedly is a testament to the systems and processes that are already in place. For me it’s about also taking the bus to the next higher level with the entire team.
Do you support allowing e mega auction every few years which can upset the harmony of the team?
SG: Yes, I am okay with the mega auction.
