Start learning, start analysing from defeats, says Sandeep Patil

Having lost the Twenty20 and ODI series to the visiting South Africans, India will have to “start learning and start analysing” from the defeats when they prepare to enter the Test-leg of the ongoing Freedom Series.

Speaking on the sidelines of the relaunching of Shivaji Park Gymkhana (SPG) Cricket Academy on Wednesday, the chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil said “this is great cricket that we are watching”.

Having made himself clear that he was not supposed to talk on the current India-South Africa series, Patil, a former Test batsman and a product of SPG, said: “Every team plays the different formats. Our team loses and we feel bad. It is bound to happen. You have the right to criticise because you are so involved with the game. (As chairman of selectors) I am at the receiving end and I feel more bad.

“But you have to stand up and face it. You have to start learning and start analysing why the standard has fallen. You have to forget the previous victories and concentrate on the next win,” said the 59-year-old Patil. “You should always set goals that is achievable. Set smart goals.”

Patil will be helping the SPGCA in his capacity as an advisor and made it clear that he will not be involved in coaching and selection of players.

The SPGCA has developed players who have gone on to represent Mumbai and India 'A' with a couple of them including exciting 20-year-old batsman Shreyas Iyer knocking on the doors of the national team.

Former Test batsman Praveen Amre, who is also the president of Shivaji Park Gymkhana, said that the academy will give admission to 25 candidates in the Under-14 and Under-16 categories and everything will be provided for. “The training will be for 36 months. The interview and selection of candidates will be done on November 15 and 16 from 10 am. The entire training expenses for this project will be borne by the gymkhana,” Amre said.

As SPG president, Amre had to get an amount of Rs 12 lakh from the gymkhana for the academy.

“Soon after I was elected SPG president in June this year, Sandeep called me to say he wanted to help the gymkhana and its cricket. Since he was involved with the day-to-day affairs of the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore a few years ago, SPG will only benefit from his expertise,” said Amre.

Meanwhile, Patil said that he would be involved in the role of an advisor. “I will advise on how to run the academy, the tournaments, friendly matches, etc. I won't be part of any coaching or selection matters. I had the advantage of working with Mumbai Cricket Association for three years and why not be of use in this form for the sake of cricket,” Patil said. “Time has come, and I am nearing 60 and a retirement age, for me to contribute a bit for the development of Mumbai cricket.

Patil, who played in 29 Tests between 1980 and 1984, was disappointed with the current international players not playing in maidan cricket.

“The standard of Mumbai cricket is going down because the stars and current players don't participate in local tournaments. If the youngsters don't bowl to class batsmen or the batsmen don't face top bowlers, you are bound to see the standard of cricket falling. During the earlier days, wherever club tournaments were played in Mumbai, all the Test players participated. Hence, the standard of cricket was high. The current scenario is a concern of not just mine but also Mumbai Cricket Association's. I appeal to all concerned to develop Mumbai cricket.”

Patil said he valued his century in Kanga League much more than a Test hundred. “There have been occasions when we used to come from international tours and straightaway play local matches. Not just Sunil Gavaskar.

The whole lot of us did. Even those before our days like Polly Umrigar, Ramakant Desai, Ajit Wadekar. We never missed office matches, club matches, friendlies. I remember coming from several tours like England and Pakistan in 1982 and 1984 and playing local matches. During the last two days of the tour, we would constantly check what's going on in Talim Shield, Purushotham Shield, etc. We would plan how we'd reach our grounds on return and managed our flights accordingly,” said Patil, who scored four Test centuries in his career.

Patil also said so much has changed over the years that the international stars of those days “would hang out at SPG”. “We used to play Test cricket and hang out in Shivaji Park Gymkhana and walk around. Today's cricketers have no privacy. It is impossible to see Rohit Sharma or Ajinkya Rahane in the streets today.”

Patil, a member of the 1983 World Cup winning team, said that cricket has spread not just in Mumbai but all over the country. “In Indian team, players come from small towns and different pockets of the country. You cannot just talk about Dadar Union and SPG. Mumbai earlier used to supply eight-nine players for Test cricket. Now-a-days, it is only two or three. Players in the Indian team are from all over the country and that is a healthy sign,” said Patil.

A dashing batsman who once scored six fours in an over off England paceman Bob Willis in Old Trafford Test, Manchester, 1982, Patil said that one has to “adapt to the present situation”. “You have to change with time. You cannot compare cricket in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s with that in 2015. There is so much awareness that it is not just about bat and bal. The present demands are different. Conditions are different. Nutrition, mental aspect, the overall game of cricket have changed,” he said.

Patil said he would love to play Kanga League even today. “The last time I held a bat was in Switzerland in 2009 when India including Kapil Dev played Englishmen in the foothills of Alps. Cricket is all about mental aspect, more than technique. How you tackle situations. Kanga League teaches you to tackle difficult situations. It is so tough to score even 20 runs. I have got a hundred in Kanga League in one session that I consider better than a Test hundred,” he said.

He also appealed players to be loyal to their clubs and not switch sides year after year. “Loyalty is very important. I consider myself very lucky to have played for Shivaji Park Gymkhana,” said Patil.