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The Rediff Interview/ Andrew Kokinos

'An old man is not necessarily good at his job'

India's World Cup failure in England earlier this year caused a few heads in the team to roll. The team physio was the first on the casualty list. At 22, according to some Board of Control for Cricket in India officials, Andrew Kokinos was too young for the job.

Nevertheless, the Australian, who took charge of the Indian team as physio last year on the recommendation of former Aussie captain and consultant coach Bobby Simpson, is still acknowledged by many members of the Indian team for keeping them in shape.

Faisal Shariff interviewed Kokinos on e-mail, before which he made it clear that he would not discuss the players, some of whom are still close to him. Among other things, he revealed he was not allowed to diagnose wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia's injury and refused access to the scans as well.

What was your stint with the Indian cricket team like? Now that you are in a better position to speak about it, are you a satisfied man?

I really enjoyed my time in India and with the team. I am not satisfied as I think there was still a lot to offer. The hard work of getting people aware of fitness and physiotherapy was done. You can implement things when people are more aware and educated. I would have liked to be involved in some planning for fitness for the national and youth teams.

Tell us about the World Cup experience.

The World Cup was disappointing as a tour due to the results, but it taught everyone what was required to be the best in the world.

When did you diagnose Nayan Mongia’s injury? Did you know that Mohammad Azharuddin had a shoulder problem and he could not throw from the outfield?

I was not allowed to be involved in the diagnosis and I had no access to the scans when they were taken, hence I was treating it from my own knowledge and instinct. Mongia's injury was obviously a serious one with the amount of swelling and these things need to be investigated radiologically.

What health problems did the Indians face?

None that other countries don't face.

How was it working with Dr Ravindra Chadda? Did you get along with him?

There was a clash of roles and difficulty due to the unclear instructions from the Board. I was told on one hand to go on to the ground, then told the opposite on the same day by someone else -- a difficult situation.

What was the procedure followed during the World Cup?

None really. I was asking the Board for a decision as I had to make career decisions also. I made it clear what I wanted to do and what I had planned for the coming year for the team. After a number of calls, I was told that my reports and that of the manager, coach and Simpson's would be looked at by the Board and I would be contacted in September.

What was Dr Chadda's brief? What was your job?

I was to work on physical fitness and Chadda on injuries. I would also work on injuries at times -- it was confusing and never stipulated, which I had asked for a number of times.

One senior player said you were too young for the job and that no one really paid attention to you. What is your reaction? How true is the latter part of the statement?

Too young. An old man is not necessarily good at his job. This was never a problem in Melbourne and I worked with an elite football club. Maybe, that senior player didn't pay attention. I know that the others did and received good benefit. It's an upsetting accusation -- perhaps something could have been said earlier or to me, personally. I'm all about communication -- without it there is nothing.

Where do you think the problem really lies with respect to the fitness of the Indian cricketers?

A number of factors -- from genetic, lack of facilities, lack of time and sometimes lack of effort.

The last time when we spoke, you said some guys in the team need to work on their fitness. Did you see any marked improvement in their performance after that? Who were they?

V V S Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Debashis Mohanty, all worked very hard and these guys reaped the benefits. Others still needed to work harder, but also the time to work harder needed to be given.

Did you expect Sachin Tendulkar's problem to aggravate the way it did after you left?

Without appropriate treatment and warm-up/fitness etc. these things happen.

How do you explain the spate of injuries after you left the side?

That's up to others to decide -- I would imagine it shows the job I was doing!!!!

What have you been doing of late? Do you still follow Indian cricket?

Working with a national soccer team, with a sports medicine practice, looking after elite sports people and enjoying life and travelling around Australia. I follow Indian cricket very closely on the Net (thanks to Faisal) and in the papers.

How was it being with the boys? Any memorable instances you had with the blokes?

It was great fun; sometimes hard. Kumble's 10 wickets was a highlight. Vic Falls in Zimbabwe, playing soccer on the beach in Sri Lanka and a number of good functions.

Who did you get along best with?

Kumble, Ramesh, Laxman -- tremendous people.

One senior player said you partied too much with the guys and felt you were not serious about your job.

I never missed one single training session in 16 months, never missed a gym session and was always available for extra work -- ask those who used the extra-time.

In time off for one week in Bombay, I trained with Vinod Kambli for four hours every morning, without pay and without recognition except from the man himself -- if that's not serious I don't know what is. Life is work and play -- if you don't play, you won't enjoy work. It motivates me to work harder when I have fun.

How do you rate Anshuman Gaekwad as a coach?

He's the only international coach I've seen up close, so hard to judge, but he was very good with player discipline and never spared any effort.

If given a free hand with regard to the fitness of the team, how would you have gone about it?

More time off, more specific fitness sessions, more gym workouts as a team. I had lots of things planned out.

What do you think you learnt in India? How was the experience?

I learnt a great deal about everything, from touring with a team non-stop, to a new culture, a new way of life. The experience was extremely positive and satisfying. I made some tremendous friends whom I still keep in touch with and can't wait to host some of these people in Australia. Thanks to all my friends who made my time so great -- especially in Bombay. All those who made me feel like I was at home.

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