A day with former India player Ankola

Denzil Pinto 09:51 06/08/2015
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  • Salil Ankola was in Dubai to conduct a coaching clinic for G Force Academy.

    When Salil Ankola made his Test debut against Pakistan in 1989, the fastbowler was sharing the same dressing room as Ravi Shastri, Kapil Dev and a 16-year-old debutant called Sachin Tendulkar.

    He went on to make 20 ODI appearances, playing in the 1996 World Cup before being forced to retire at just 28 with a bone tumour on his shin. The 47-year-old was in Dubai to conduct a coaching clinic for G Force Academy and spoke to Sport360 about his memories of Sachin, his Indian career and why he rates Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson very highly.

    You and Sachin Tendulkar made your Test debuts against Pakistan in 1989. What are your early memories from when you met him?

    We were two of the youngest players in the side. Sachin was 16 and I was 21. We were youngsters who had played just one season for our state team. We shared the same room in the hotel and we couldn’t sleep that night at all. We were discussing how it would be to play for India as there were a lot of star names in the team with Ravi Shastri and Kapil Dev all playing. At that time he was very different. I hadn’t seen a guy at a young age who was so focused on cricket.

    One of the greatest players to play the game, India legend Sachin Tendulkar.

    What type of character was he as a 16-year-old and are you surprised he went on to become an iconic figure in world cricket?
    He was like any other 16-year-old. He liked doing pranks as any teenager would do. But when it came to cricket, he was as good as a 30-year-old, he was mature in the game at that young age. He thought about the game. He didn’t just play just for the sake of playing, he had a goal and wanted to excel.

    One major factor about Sachin is that I’ve not seen any player like him. Sachin is a legend but any match you asked him to play whether it’s a Ranji Trophy game, Test match or ODI, he always wanted to win and he always gave his best.

    There are only two players that I’ve seen in my entire career – Sachin and Anil Kumble, who took every match seriously. Even if it was an exhibition it was serious for Sachin. Even during the nets, I bowled a lot to Sachin and he would take net sessions very seriously and didn’t like to get out.

    You played alongside some Indian greats like Ravi Shastri and Kapil Dev. How did it feel to be on the same side as them?  
    It was very good. They were all big names who all played for their country. I remember hearing their names on the radio or watching them on television when I was younger and to think of playing alongside was a huge thing for me. Those players were my idols back then.

    Salil made 20 ODI appearances for India, playing in the 1996 World Cup.

    What did you make of your Test debut against Pakistan?
    I tried to bowl a little bit too quick on that wicket so I was told by the coaches to bowl near the short stump. I was meant to play the second Test match, which had a better wicket but I tore a muscle in my thigh and I couldn’t bowl for three or four weeks. If I was fit, it would’ve been a different story altogether.

    Can you recall your favourite moment in your India career?
    It was against England in the fifth ODI in Jamshedpur in 1993. I got out early for just two runs, but I was swinging the ball a lot and managed to get out Graeme Hick, which was special since it was my birthday and it helped us win the game.

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    You were also part of India’s 1996 World Cup squad. Can you tell us of that experience?
    It was a great feeling. It is a dream of any player of playing in the World Cup and we had such a strong side. But we lost to Sri Lanka in the semi-final. If we had won that game, I felt we could’ve won the tournament.

    How do you look back at your India career and are there any regrets?
    I wish I could’ve played a lot more Test matches. Selectors turned me into a one-day player but I felt I could have also bowled in the longer version too.

    But also I had a sudden development of a bone tumour on my left shin when I was 28 and that forced me to retire. During my operation there were a lot of bones taken out and I couldn’t play for two years. That was disappointing because I was at my fittest at that time and I was going to be the mainstay of the Indian side.

    Twenty20 cricket wasn’t invented during your playing days. Is that something you would’ve liked to play in?
    I believe the T20 format would’ve suited me perfectly. I started my career as an opening batsman and opening bowler at university level. In T20, some of the boundaries are shorter and there’s many rules that favour the batsmen plus I can hit the ball hard. When it comes to bowling, I can bowl very good yorkers which is very useful.

    Salil Ankola gives young cricketers some advice during a coach session at G Force Academy.

    There’s a lot of T20 competitions around the world. What is your favourite tournament to watch?
    It would be any competition as long as the game is interesting. When you’re talking about the Champions League and the World Twenty20 that’s a bigger challenge and it can provide a good spectacle to watch.

    If you came back into the sport now, which player would your relish competing against?
    I would really love to bowl to Hashim Amla and Mahela Jayawardene because they are both complete batsmen, who rarely make mistakes.

    Are there any cricketers you like watching?
    I like watching Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson. I like their aggression as they will frustrate the batsman to ensure they get him out. At times, body language speaks more than your tongue and those two guys have that.

    What other sports do you like apart from cricket?
    I don’t really watch that much sport but I love body building. I work out every day and I’m a big fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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