DRS is useless without necessary gadgets: Karsan Ghavri

MUMBAI: Former India pacer Karsan Ghavri, who on Friday guided Saurashtra to their first Ranji crown, when they beat Bengal in the final at the SCA Stadium in Rajkot, has offered a solid advice to the BCCI on an issue which became a talking point during the Ranji final — limited use of Decision Review System (DRS).
“It’s useless without all the necessary gadgets.Decisions based on this system can spoil a game and some team's chances,” Ghavri told TOI on Saturday. The limited use of DRS came under fire for much of the final, particularly during marginal decisions, with many feeling that technology was of no use unless it was implemented in toto.
Meanwhile, at a time when Mumbai have hardly looked like clinching their 42nd Ranji Trophy title, former cricketers-turned coaches like Chandrakant Pandit and Ghavri are continuing the rich legacy of winning the championship, albeit through different teams. While Chandrakant Pandit coached Vidarbha to their maiden title in 2017-18 and then helped them defend it next season, Ghavri has struck gold with Saurashtra.
In his last assignment as a coach, the 69-year-old Ghavri couldn’t have asked for a better ending to his coaching career. “Sone pe suhaga ho gaya (It was like icing on the cake),” he tells TOI. “I’ll not coach any team now. The Ranji season is too long. It goes on for five-six months. There’s too much for travelling. I don’t have that much of time,” says the former India seamer, who played 39 Tests and 19 ODIs for India in the 70s and early 80s.
For someone who played in a Mumbai team which was used to winning the Ranji Trophy, Ghavri found a “certain similarity” in this Saurashtra bunch, which was playing its fourth Ranji final, and the third in the last five years. “I coached Mumbai in 1993-94 (he was the manager of the Ravi Shastri-led Mumbai team which won the Ranji Trophy after a decade-long gap) and 2001-02. Of course, we had superstars in those teams. See, a Ranji team doesn’t require coaching. They know the basics and that’s why they’ve reached this stage. They just require someone to motivate them. You’ve to keep their confidence level high. It’s about man-management,” he says.
With 67 wickets in 10 games@13.23 — the most by a pacer in the history of the Ranji Trophy — skipper Jaidev Unadkat was the toast of Saurashtra’s success. Ghavri feels that whenever India play next post the coronavirus outbreak, Unadkat’s name needs to be penciled in immediately. “He bowled exceptionally well throughout the season. It was extraordinary, remarkable bowling. He led the team very well, and the team responded to him very well too. Whenever India plays next, I’m 100% confident that he would be picked in the side,” says Ghavri.
The coach was also pleased with the grit shown by India’s test No 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, who played in the final despite suffering from fever. Pujara chipped in with a crucial half-century (66 off 237 balls) and shared a decisive 140-run partnership with Arpit Vasvada for the sixth wicket. “He’s a silent fighter,” complimented Ghavri, while disagreeing with criticism directed against the batsman that he’s too slow at times. “That doesn’t matter. A five-day game is a long one. It’s more important that you keep your wicket intact,” he feels.
He’s of course, not too happy to see Mumbai struggle in recent times in the Ranji Trophy. “They’ve some very exciting cricketers, but probably they aren’t gelling well together. Something is missing in the team. Honestly, they missed their star players this season. Also, we must keep in mind that teams like Karnataka, Saurashtra, Gujarat, Baroda and Jharkhand are all doing well. The Ranji Trophy is a very competitive tournament. It’s not like you’ve just three-four good teams now,” he says.
Amidst all the cancellations/postponements of sporting events due to the outbreak of coronavirus, the sight of the Saurashtra players celebrating their first Ranji Trophy triumph made for heart-warming viewing. “They’d been trying to win it for quite some time. They were fighting for it really hard because the Ranji Trophy belongs to Saurashtra (the Ranji Trophy is named after Ranjitsinghji, the ruler of Nawanagar). They wanted to bring it home,” says Ghavri.
Having lost all the three times in the final before, they were conscious of losing another one this tome too. “They ran well earlier, but couldn’t touch the finish-line. This time around, they were eager and hungry to touch the finish-line. They were keen to lift the trophy,” he says. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t be able to play in their maiden Irani Cup clash for now, due to the coronavirus outbreak.
He recommends that “regardless of the age factor,” the selectors must try out the likes of “Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Sheldon Jackson, Arpit Vasavada and Chirag Jani in the India A team.” All these players have been doing well for Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy consistently, and played a key role in their victorious campaign this time too.