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--------Mohammed Azharuddin---------

                          Azhar still remains a strongcontender
I have a lot of enthusiasm for the game and am very fit, says former skipper
Bangalore: Clad in a fresh bath robe in his room at hotel Le Meridien, former Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin was giving a few welcome tips to Mumbai opener Wasim Jaffer.

“Bend your knees a bit in your batting stance and run faster between the wickets. These are two important things in your batting. You should also field better and should never allow the ball to slip through your hands at this age. You should start making big scores and make the selectors notice you,” the battle-scarred veteran said in chaste hindi to Jaffer, who was swallowing every word from the stylish batsmen. Azhar, who was getting ready to leave for Mumbai spoke to Online Bangalore about his continued interests in the game. Experts of the interview:

What motivates to enjoy the game in domestic cricket?
I am still fit enough, I have got a lot of enthusiasm left. The willingness to perform and succeed is still just keeps you going.

What do you think are the important highlights and lowlights of your long career?
There have been lots of ups and downs. If I go into details, it will become a very long answer. I have really enjoyed playing from the 1985 World championship, winning which was a big high in my career. Winning the hero cup and a lot of other games were some cherished moments.

Mohammed Azharuddin

My biggest disappointment was not winning the World Cup. May be, it was not meant to be, we tried our best. Otherwise, all the matches that we won under Mr Wadekar and some brilliant batting that we have witnessed from different players have been really enjoyable.

What is the secret to your physical fitness?
I have made a lot of sacrifices, especially on my diet. To be fit, one has to look after oneself especially when playing at this level. One cannot afford to be unfit or overweight even by two kilos, that really effects a lot. The game has become so big with so much commercialisation and TV coverage. The moment one slips, it is shown on the TV. One cannot hide any thing. At the professional level everybody is fit.

Do you follow any particular fitness regimen?
It is mostly related to diet. I do a little bit of running and a little bit of weight for my legs and abdominal exercises. Not very heavy weights.

At what point in you career did you realise fitness was an essential part of the game?
Right from the beginning, even when I was in college, I used to do a lot of physical training. In between I had a groin injury and was on cortisone injections. I started putting on weight. I realised that it is not going to help me, if I have to play longer. I had become a little bit slow on the field and was finding it difficult to bend because I had put on about 10 to 12 kilos. When I came back from New Zealand, I decided to control my diet. I used to eat a lot of sweets and meat. I stopped all that. Basically, I do some exercises.

Have you set any specific goals?
I am playing for another few years. I have no goals and as long as I am performing and enjoying the game, there are no problems. I really don’t set goals, I take things as they come.

Why doesn’t Indian talent gel as a team?
That’s a wrong notion. People should stop talking about that. What is the meaning of gelling as a team? Everybody plays well. We have performed very well over a period of time. When we don’t perform well, people say that the team is not gelling and does not have team spirit. That is all loose talk.

In terms of victories like in the 1983 World Cup or the 1985 World Championship at Australia, contributions from all players made a big difference. But, we seem to lack that now?
Even now the players are contributing. But, the contributions have not been handsome enough. Everybody tries to put in his effort. We go there and play to win, nobody goes out with an attitude to lose. We try our best and try to win as many games as we can. If you look at it, we are playing so many matches. It is humanly impossible to win every game. Sometimes things work, sometimes they don’t work for you.

What do you think about changes that the game has undergone over the years?
A lot of rules have been changed. A lot of money has come in to the game. There is a lot of commercialisation and I think it is good for the game. The players slog it out and they deserve everything. They make so much sacrifices like living away from their families and playing all the time. Serving the country is a big honour.