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The Cricket Interview / Bobby Simpson

"You can't teach the Indians to play strokes..."

Robert Baddeley 'Call me Bobby' Simpson is the quintessential Aussie cricketer -- ability allied to dedication, allied to a desire to be in the thick of things all the time.

A top quality right hand batsman and a suprisingly good leg spin and googly bowler, Simpson's all round ability also included one of the safest pairs of hands in the slips, his 110 catches a testimony to his fly-paper hands.

Simpson retired as captain, having led Australia in 29 Tests, in 1967. However, ten years back, he made a remarkable comeback as captain, accepting an invitation by the Australian board to lead the side, which was depleted by the depredations of Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket. He was 41 years old when he took up the assignment, and went on to lead Australia in another 10 Tests.

After his second retirement, Simpson returned to the public relations company he runs, but again responded to the call of the ACB, accepting the role of Australia's first full time coach, in 1985-'86.

His tenure as coach was marked by an insistence on discipline, commitment, fitness and character -- needless to say, he soon got a reputation for being a bit of a martinet, and rubbed then skipper Allan Border the wrong way. The two, however, did strike up a successful partnership, working in tandem to take Australia to a win in the 1987 World Cup on the Indian sub-continent.

In Chennai for his first stint as India's consultant coach, Simpson showed an evident enjoyment for his latest assignment. Never mind that his appointment was universally condemned, by the media, by former Test stars like Jimmy Amarnath, by pundits of all hues. Excerpts, from an extended conversation with Associate Editor Prem Panicker:

We didn't exactly roll out the red carpet for you here, did we, Bobby?

*Laughs* Well, India has been pretty hospitable to me, every time I've come here, but right, this time I did hear a few discordant voices.

It happens, people are always rather sceptical of anything new, at least at the outset. And I guess it is natural for people to feel that an Indian should be coach, question the appointment of a foreigner. Tell you what, though, the criticism in India is nothing compared to the criticism I got back home, some sections even accused me of turning traitor...

How do you react to that?

With silence. Look, there are commentators, writers, who attack the board, the players, all the time, but no one calls them 'traitors'. Me, well, when those blokes abandoned the country to go off and play for Packer, I came back and led the team when the board asked me to. Again, when they needed someone as full time coach, I was the one who put aside my own business interests and took up the job, so I don't think I need to prove my credentials, my patriotism, to anyone.

I guess the 'traitor' bit is understandable, wouldn't you say? I mean, India plays Australia in the World Cup, where would your sympathies lie?

My 'sympathies', as you call it, would obviously lie with Australia, that is my country after all. But you forget that first and foremost, we are professionals. If my job at the time is to coach India, then I will do that job as well as I can, irrespective of who the opponent is, I see no conflict of interest there.

That still leaves the question, why you? I mean, India is not exactly lacking in talented former players who could have filled the same brief, Kapil, Sunny Gavaskar, Jimmy Amarnath...

I can't answer that one, I don't know if your board did approach them, and what their reply was. As to why me, well, in the mid-eighties, when Australian cricket was going through a lean spell, I was invited to become the first full-time coach Australia ever had. The money they were offering wasn't all that attractive, but I still took it up and the methods I had introduced then are still being used, so I'd like to think I know what I am talking about.

I remember reading in one of your earlier interviews, you had expressed some concern about the state of Indian cricket...

Not specifically Indian cricket. I think what I had said was that I was worried about cricket in some countries, India being just one of them, England, West Indies are others, they all have great cricketing traditions but for a while, they have been below par, and that is what worries me. I must clarify that my passion is cricket, not necessarily Australian cricket. And when something threatens the game, at any level, anywhere, there is in me a compulsion to see what I can do to help.

And you believe you are the one who can help?

Sounds a bit like I am puffing myself up doesn't it? *laughs* Anyone can help improve the game, former players, the media, whoever. Remember, I am not saying, cricket is in trouble and I am the only one who can help. But yes, I feel I should try, I believe my experience could be of value. Also, as an unbiased outsider, I might see some things more clearly than those of you who have your roots here.

Okay, so here you are, your first stint as consultant to the Indian team, how has it been so far?

Very satisfying. Initially I was a bit apprehensive, but now I'm beginning to feel good about the whole thing.

Why apprehensive?

Well, you know how it is, you're new, you suggest something and the guys could go, why must I do it this way, why can't I do it the way I always have? At least, that was my apprehension, but the suggestions I have made have been accepted, tried out, so I am making a difference and that helps, it's a feel-good thing.

I noticed you have been involved in lots of one-to-one sessions with individual players, but we were given to understand you would be some kind of 'supercoach', you would only interact with Gaekwad, not with the players...

Yeah, that was what the original intention was. Everyone thought, you know, too many coaches, a too many cooks kind of situation, so the idea was for Anshu to do the actual coaching, for me to consult with him, pass on my ideas to him but not to individual players. But Anshu has given me a free hand, so now I talk to the individual players about specifics...

Doesn't that lead to the danger of you suggesting one thing to a particular player, and Anshu suggesting something else, with the player ending up rather confused?

No, what we do is we compare notes throughout the session, also at the start of the day and at the end. Like, before coming to the ground, we would have had a chat, in that I might say I would like to work with one player on this specific aspect, I discuss that with Anshu, or he tells me what he is going to try. Then again, in course of a session, if I figure something needs doing, we have a quick talk... besides, this kind of interaction, exchange of notes is essential anyway, for follow up. I must say the synergy here is terrific, everyone -- Anshu, Andrew (Kokinos), Dr Chaddha, me, we are all meshing beautifully together.

The Bobby Simpson interview, continued