Mike Gatting

Mumbai: It was under Mike Gatting that England last won the Ashes in Australia (1986-87) and, so, he’s going to remain special for a lot of people ? till, at least, another England captain wins Down Under. Gatting, who played 79 Tests (4,409 runs) and 92 ODIs (2,095 runs), was solid in the middle-order with a no-nonsense approach. Currently in India as Grand Cru Travel’s host for a group of well-heeled fans from the UK, the 48-year-old Gatting spoke to The Telegraph at the CCI on Tuesday evening.

 

The following are excerpts

On hosting high-end fans

It’s a nice experience, very different of course... My first assignment was to the West Indies (2003-04)... Then, in the next season, I took fans to South Africa... We keep the numbers to around 30 and aren’t driven by volumes.

On what else keeps him busy

Among other things, I write for one of the Sunday newspapers, do some work for the BBC and am president of the Lord’s Taverners, which is the biggest cricket charity in the UK. I’m also helping the Cricket Foundation, with the aim of getting cricket back into the state schools. (Adds laughing) I do have things on my plate.

On coaching in Europe

Yeah, I’ve been doing it for the European Cricket Council.

On not going on to coach England despite having been the A team’s coach

The ECB had other plans...

On the difference a coach can make at the international level

Lots, but only by way of improving the preparation and ironing out deficiencies... At the top level, you can’t have much of coaching in the strictest sense... A coach shouldn’t say too much, but still make his point... Must open the mind of his players...

On who should be the boss in the dressing room

Without a shadow of doubt, the captain... The coach has to complement him, no more.

On England’s Ashes win last summer

It was a huge moment and such a great advertisement for the sport... Such was the impact that kids, who would usually play soccer in September, began playing cricket.

On whether the Ashes hype affected England’s performance in Pakistan, the first engagement of a fresh season

Winning in the sub-continent isn’t easy and losing some key players didn’t help... The (Ashes) hype wasn’t a factor.

On England in India

A remarkable performance, considering that a number of the big names had to either pull out or go home for one reason or the other... The guys have competed very well and I’ve been impressed with the way (Andrew) Flintoff has captained in Michael Vaughan’s absence.

On whether Nasser Hussain deserves most of the credit for England’s recovery after the late 1990s’ slump

Nasser did what was needed at that time... He injected steel, let everybody know England would be hard to beat... But, as always, there’s the next level and Vaughan has taken us there... He has allowed the players to produce their natural game and Flintoff is an excellent example. The players have been more comfortable under Vaughan... When Flintoff does get the job full-time, I’m sure he’ll do the same ? allow the players to express themselves.

On whether Hussain’s toughness had everything to do with his coming from Essex and Graham Gooch’s ‘school’

Perhaps, yes... Graham was a single-minded person, used to be very focused and that approach certainly helped him when he batted.

On the qualities a captain must have

(Grins) Honesty... The more straightforward a captain, the better... Honesty brings about more respect and a captain has to enjoy that in abundance... The other big things are man-management skills and a sharp tactical mind. Quickly responding to changing situations is important. (After a pause) Flintoff has been doing well because (a) he’s straightforward and (b) is respected by the guys for his achievements.

On Sourav Ganguly as captain

I wasn’t privy to the ins and outs, but he did a fine job... However, there comes a time when one has to move on... Rahul Dravid has settled down well and I’m sure he’s highly respected in the dressing room... Sourav wants to come back, but when there’s no place even for the very special (V.V.S.) Laxman, where is he going to bat? The selectors won’t open with him and, in the middle order, there are far too many candidates...

On his role model captain

Mike Brearley... I learnt everything from him... Apart from the qualities most know about, Brearley had another ? he made everybody feel they were part of the team... I remember, as a 19-year-old playing for Middlesex, walking towards the other end (at Lord’s) and being joined by Brearley. He asked ‘so, what should we do?’ That made me feel so important... I mean, the England and Middlesex captain wanted my opinion... From then on, I kept myself totally involved... Began thinking of possibilities... That one question changed my approach. (After a pause) The way Brearley handled Ian Bothan was exceptional... Nobody else could have done it that way.

On what has made Australia such a powerhouse

The quality of players... They’ve got some of the best batsmen (Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden), the finest bowlers (Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath) and the best wicketkeeper-batsman of all time ? Adam Gilchrist... Then, if you go back some years, they had the Waugh Brothers and so on... We’ve become a force because of the emergence of four quality fast bowlers: Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Simon Jones and Flintoff himself... The bottomline to look for is quality.

On the England players to look out for

James Anderson, for one... Of course, he has already played for England... Among batsmen, I would pick Middlesex’s Edmund Joyce (whose roots are in Ireland)... He’s an outstanding left-hander.

On whether cricket is moving in the right direction

I don’t have a complaint and I’m happy that the experiment with super subs will stop... Like many others, I didn’t like it. I hope, though, the administrators are going to pump in more money at the grassroots and give attention to cricket in the schools.

Finally, on whether the controversies involving him (the showdown with umpire Shakoor Rana and the rebel tour of South Africa, for example) have taken quite a bit away from his achievements as an England captain and player

(Emotionally) Some good things happened, some bad things... That’s life... I’d like to think people will look past some of the things and look at what I did for England and Middlesex... However, it’s not that I’m particularly worried.