Sportzwiki Exclusive: I Feel Proud With What All I Have Achieved – Vijay Dahiya
Jan 9, 2019 at 4:07 PM
Vijay Dahiya was one of the many wicketkeeper-batsmen whom team India tried before inking on Rahul Dravid. Dahiya though played two Test matches and 19 ODIs for India.
He made his debut in limited overs cricket during the Champions Trophy 2000 whereas his Test debut came at his home ground Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, which he terms as a great feeling.
As a wicketkeeper-batsman, Dahiya retired with a batting average of 33.63 in first-class cricket whereas in List A cricket, his average was 21.70 when he called it the day.
He has found success in coaching stint as well as in the very first season after taking over as Chief Coach of Delhi, the national capital ended their 15-year drought to win the Ranji Trophy.
Delhi also won Vijay Hazare Trophy 2012-13 under his tutelage. Apart from stateside, Dahiya has also coached IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders and the Gautam Gambhir-led side has lifted the trophy twice. Dahiya had a vital role in this as having played with Gambhir, he played a major part in getting Gambhir in KKR camp and the results have been brilliant since them.
Sportzwiki caught up with the former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman, where he opened up about his playing days to his coaching stint.
Here are excerpts from the interview:
SW: When you look back, do you figure out something which left unachieved?
Dahiya: No. It was a great journey. Though there are times when you look back and say that it could have been improved while playing or coaching but apart from that no. My coaching career has started a few years back and when I look back, there is nothing which I regret now. I feel proud for what all I have achieved.
SW: What was your best moment? Making your Test debut at your home ground or winning Ranji Trophy title as a coach for Delhi in the very first season in the role?
Dahiya: That coach one is a bit different. Personally, playing for India is, of course, the best of the two. You have to face grind to represent your country at national level. Coaching too is the great side of the game but comparing it with the feeling of representing India is not befitting.
SW: You had a late arrival in team India at an age of 27. So was this the reason that why you could not stretch your international career?
Dahiya: For me, representing India was the most important thing. When you look back at the state of Indian cricket in that period, the things were quite different. Results were not coming for the team and the patience level was quite low. They needed someone to come and deliver straightaway. There were may great players at that time who didn’t get a chance to play. When I made the debut, Sourav Ganguly was the captain and he was looking for a wicketkeeper who could facilitate him to play more bowlers.
When Rahul Dravid donned the gloves, the team combination was set for which Ganguly was searching and from there, many wicketkeepers didn’t get a chance.
SW: Having played domestic cricket more than international cricket, what sort of difference you find between the two?
Dahiya: There was a huge difference between domestic and international cricket if we talk of 10 years ago. With IPL coming to the fore, it has bridged the gap between international and domestic cricket. Earlier, when you used to play for India after playing first-class cricket, that experience was the only thing which you carried to the next level but with IPL, many of the players have already tasted the feeling of international cricket even before playing for India. They already know what to expect from international cricket. You share the dressing room with icons of the game, play in the packed stadium, you feel the pressure.
When we look at the players who made their debut for India after playing IPL, they haven’t made us feel that they are feeling pressure because they have faced the same sort of pressure earlier as well. IPL has helped a lot.
SW: Making your Test debut at your home ground. How big was that for you? Can you share what you felt at that moment?
Dahiya: It was a big thing for me and a great feeling as well but there was a bit of pressure. When finally the moment arrives, you always want to play at a place where you have spent most of your time. It should give you a home like feeling. It helped me to bring down the pressure but the pressure to perform in front of the home crowd was there on me. As soon as the match starts, all these things are left over outside the boundary line and your whole concentration is on how to make most of the opportunity.
SW: When you were dropped from the side, you, of course, eyed a comeback. How difficult is it for a player to make a comeback in the team after getting dropped?
Dahiya: The age at which I got to made my debut, it’s an age when making a comeback is quite difficult and during that period, the patience level was quite low. They needed someone to come and deliver and as I said earlier, Rahul Dravid did well. Wicketkeeper did come in the side at the time but none of them got a chance. Age is also a crucial factor. If I would have made my debut at the age of 22 or 23, then I would have had time to make a comeback but when you make you debut at 27 or 28, then making a comeback at the age of 32, especially for a wicketkeeper is quite difficult.
SW: We have seen players like Michael Hussey having a late arrival in the national side and they performed quite well. Should Indian selectors opt for the same sort of strategy? Going for experience instead of age?
Dahiya: This depends on the player. A player of his class was unstoppable and no one could have ignored him. He had more than 10,000 runs before making his debut and he is a special player. His level of cricket is quite high, they aren’t affected by age.
In Australia, they make a batsman play 3-4 years of first class cricket before taking him in the national side like Darren Lehmann and many others. But in India, things are quite different. If a player performs well in two seasons, then he is a widely renowned player but this has not been the case. I don’t remember any batsman making over 1000 runs in Ranji Trophy for two consecutive seasons and didn’t get a chance. So there is a difference between there cricket and our’s. There are only six teams in Australia whereas, in India, there are a total of 29 teams. We play more matches than they play and we have a huge pool of players. If a player doesn’t do well here, he has to go back in the line to make a comeback. Both the countries have a different style of play and level of players. So we can’t compare the style of play of two nations.
SW: The year you announced your retirement, the very next year IPL was introduced. Do you regret that had you delayed your arrival, you could have got an opportunity to in IPL?
Dahiya: No. As I said, when I look back at my cricketing career, there is nothing which I feel I did not achieve. Even if IPL would have come two years before my retirement, there was no surety of being a part of an IPL side. The good thing was that within two years, I got an opportunity to coach an IPL team (KKR) and there is no regret about not playing IPL.
SW: Puneet Bisht replaced you in the Delhi side and in the very next year, you were the coach of Delhi side. Tell something about your relationship with him when you came in as coach.
Dahiya: Before the start of the season, I had already informed Bisht that I will retire after playing three games. I had told him this thing clearly, so there were no surprises. I wanted to retire after the game against Tamil Nadu where I score 150 runs. I had my retirement plans, which the team management knew. But I had to continue after that game as Delhi had a chance of qualifying for the next round and I played one more game, which I did not want to play.
Puneet was with the team for a long time He was making timely appearances for the side and when he got a chance, he did well. He knew that I will be retiring and he would replace me.
SW: Playing T20 cricket is totally a different feeling. Did you ever think to come out of retirement and play at least one T20 game?
Dahiya: I played T20 cricket for my company i.e. Indian Airlines. Yes, of course, I still dream to play but there is always a time for everything. When I played, things were totally different and time always changes. I am not the only player who think like this. Playing as a wicketkeeper-batsman is totally different and there are many players, who if playing in today’s world would have had different expectations.
SW: So you are totally satisfied with your playing career?
Dahiya: Yes. But only the game does not satisfy you. There is an outside world as well. I am very grateful that I got a chance to play for the country and I achieved what I dreamt of. I am very grateful that I represented my nation. I am very satisfied with what I achieved, which will be there with me for my whole life.
SW: Coming to your coaching stint, in the year 2011, Kolkata Kight Riders spent a humongous amount of Rs. 11.04 Crore to snare Gautam Gambir and it is said that you had a crucial role in opting for Gambhir. You have played with him since his Ranji Trophy days, is that the reason you were impressed with him and knew of his abilities?
Dahiya: We looked up to Gambhir not only as a player but as a leader. Kochi Tuskers Kerala side too needed a captain. We had a competition with them to snare Gautam Gambhir and when I had a look at their table, I got an idea that they will not go beyond that price and I requested Venky Mysore (CEO KKR) to make one more bid for Gambhir. He bid for it. It was a great bid as no one thought about going for such a big amount.
Yes, I have been with Gambhir and have seen him from quite close. I have seen him grow, from developing into a legend of the game from a player. We needed a player like him. We as a team weren’t lacking anything but still was not able to do well. We needed a leader to change our fortunes and I am happy that the decision which we took, paid results.
SW: How different it is to coach an IPL team say as compared to Delhi team?
Dahiya: I worked with Delhi with a capacity of Chief Coach and in the first year, my job was easy as I had played with most of the players and knew them well. There, I thought that more than coaching, it was man management. I identified the things which should not happen and rectified it. Delhi side was a set unit and there was no big challenge in front of me but there were other controversies from outside world, coming in. We were able to cope with it and in the every first year, we ended the 15-year drought, which was a big achievement. Delhi has that ability that the team should be playing Ranji Trophy final every 2-3 years.
Coming to IPL, I have worked there as the capacity of the assistant coach. There is a lot to be learnt there. I worked with two coaches there i.e. Dev Whatmore and Trevor Bayliss. There is a lot of difference between the two. If you look at Whatmore, he can be the best coach with the side who is struggling a bit. He is best in rescuing a side, which we did in the first few years but the winning spirit was brought by Bayliss. It was a big learning experience for me. In a tournament like IPL, you have to go in with a winning sort of thought and this was the difference between the two. Then there was Wasim Akram, he was a great man in the side. There was lot to be learnt there, which can be implemented in Ranji Trophy.
SW: Whenever we hear about Delhi cricket, what we come across an allegation of age fudging, sacking of coaches and much more. Despite all these outside distractions, what is key that Delhi has been producing an international cricketer in every 2-3 years?
Dahiya: There is oodles of talent in Delhi. When a player gets over the tough situations, fighting with the mental pressure, it’s the key to success for him. Looking at last 15 years, Delhi has produced most international cricketers. It is a thing to be proud of but when talking about management, those things have not been something to be proud of.
I am proud of what I have done for Delhi cricket. Soon, everything will be clear and yes, the association has done well to give an opportunity to players. Surely, if everything will be solved in Delhi cricket, then it will give confidence to players as well. There is talent in Delhi but what it lacks is the trust.
SW: How do you summarise your career in totality. From being a player to turning into a coach?
Dahiya: Very much lucky. The word I would like to use. When you do something with genuine feeling and put in efforts, you get results. It’s not always that you will achieve what you desire but results do come. If you work hard to achieve a goal, you will achieve success.