KOLKATA: WV Raman might be in South Africa (doing commentary for women’s T20 World Cup), but his heart is at the Eden Gardens. The Bengal batting consultant on Tuesday spoke to TOI from the breakfast table at his Cape Town hotel on the season and the upcoming Ranji Trophy final.
On Bengal’s progress:
I am always following the boys wherever I am and keep in touch with coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla. We exchange notes and do put my observations but leave the rest to the team management.
On Bengal’s show this season:
They have played some great cricket so far. I feel the Bengal bowling unit is one of the best in recent Indian domestic cricket. They are bowling out almost all oppositions, some of them even in one or two sessions. Their consistency throughout the season is fabulous. The way the boys have made comebacks in some matches this season showed their character.
On Bengal’s opening woes:
In life and in cricket, not everything will always work for you. I fail to understand why there’s so much talk about the Bengal opening partnership. Did we have a settled Indian Test opening pair for the last three-four years? No. But had that prevented India from winning Test matches? Of course it would have been better to have a settled opening pair. But there’s no need to lose sleep on something that might not have worked for you. Focus on what is working for you and keep pursuing it.
On Karan Lal as an opener:
I feel we should give the youngster some more time rather than always reminding him that the opening pair has not got runs. Opening is not an easy job in red ball cricket and it takes time for one to get adjusted to that. Lal has done well at U-19 level and if we back him now we might have someone for the future.
On Bengal’s last Ranji final loss to Saurashtra:
Records and statics are for the past and you play the game in the present. So there’s no point remembering something that happened years back. I feel the boys should just take it as another match and give their best.
On home advantage:
Playing at the Eden Gardens can be a double-edged sword. Yes, Bengal will know the conditions, the pitch well. But at the same time the players will have to deal with plenty of advice and suggestions from club officials, former players, peer group, the media which is also not easy. At the same time, the Eden track might help our seamers, but remember Saurashtra also have bowlers like Jaydev Unadket and Chetan Sakariya. At this level all teams will have an arsenal for all situations.
On Manoj Tiwary’s captaincy:
Bengal are lucky to have a skipper in Manoj. He is a doyen of domestic cricket, has plenty of experience and leads from the front. I am also impressed at the way he handled his cricketing and ministerial time so well.
On the Manoj-Laxmi combination:
It always helps when your coach and captain are on the same page. The fact that Manoj and LR (Shukla) have played so much cricket together, helps in their coordination and communication.
