Hyderabad: Former India opener Wasim Jaffer may not have played many international matches, but he is one of the legends of Indian domestic cricket and the highest run-scorer in the Ranji and Irani Trophy.
Jaffer has virtually ruled domestic cricket’s 22-yards for 22 years before hanging up his boots on 7th March 2020. The 42-year-old was part of 10 Ranji Trophy-winning sides, eight with Mumbai and the last two with Vidarbha.
The Mumbai-born batsman played 31 Tests and scored 1,944 runs with an average of 34.11. He has five centuries and 11 fifties in the longest format, with 212 as his highest score.
Jaffer, who made his Test and ODI debut against South Africa in 2006, is, however, remembered for his feats in domestic cricket, particularly the Ranji Trophy.
He became the first batsman to score 12,000 runs in Ranji Trophy, the coveted domestic tournament in India. He is also the first player to play in 150 Ranji Trophy matches. Known for his stylist shots, especially the cover drives, Jaffer was nemesis of the bowlers, who tormented them with his patient knocks.
He made his first-class debut in 1996-97 season and then went on to score 19,410 runs from 260 matches.
In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, Wasim Jaffer talked about his short-lived international career, his future plans, his take on saliva ban, IPL and T20 World Cup 2020, his idol and his comparison with Mohammad Azharuddin.
Your records and stats in domestic cricket have been outstanding but still you didn’t get to play much international cricket. Any specific reason behind that?
“I was not as consistent as I needed to be. The consistency that I showed at first-class level was missing at international level. I think I matured quite later in my career and when I was lot more mature as a cricketer, I never got to play for India at that time. I matured as a batsman at the age of 31 years and that’s when I was dropped and never picked again. Also, by not being consistent, I gave the selectors the opportunity to drop me.”
Life before retirement and life after retirement. How different that has been for you? What were the notable changes in your life after you hung up your boots?
“I retired recently in March, which was just before the lockdown. But, during the current domestic season, I started to feel a discomfort in my knee which was there for a long time. But then I realised that my time is up. I went for an MRI scan and then I spoke to a surgeon who told me that this is the right time to retire as I can’t put much load on my knee. Also, I played this season only because this was the hattrick season for Vidarbha (Wasim’s domestic team) and we were trying to clinch the Ranji trophy for the third consecutive time. But that didn’t happen as Vidarbha didn’t make it to the knockout stages of the tournament so after that I made my mind that this is the good time to go. I achieved many things with Vidarbha despite being an outsider in the team. So, I was very happy and content.”
“And I think I needed to look forward to life beyond playing. At the age of 42 I wanted to explore my options. Coaching is one option, while commentary is another option. So, there haven’t been a lot of changes post my retirement because straight away we went into lockdown. But I am exploring different avenues and considering coaching as an option. Also, being a batting coach of Kings XI Punjab, I was looking forward to IPL, but that didn’t happen. Also, I am batting coach for game development for Bangladesh High Performance Academy, so once the cricket resumes in Bangladesh, I might go there to coach. So, whichever opportunities I feel are good and challenging, I’ll try and catch onto that.”
What’s your take on saliva ban? Do you think it will be harsh for bowlers as they might find it very difficult to swing the ball?
“I understand why ICC brought the ban as there is a risk element involved in using saliva. But I feel in Test cricket you can have two new balls, and the second new ball can be made available after 60 or 65 overs rather than waiting for 80 overs. Because if they don’t use saliva the ball won’t swing and that’s challenging for the bowlers and if the ball doesn’t swing then it’s going to be one sided game in the favour of batsmen. So, to maintain the balance of the game and make it more challenging, two new balls are needed and allowing teams to have the second new ball in a Test inning after 60 or 70 overs is required so the ball remains quite hard and shine remains for long time. Fast bowlers will enjoy if that happens, while spinners will probably complaint about it. But given the current scenario, you can’t please everyone.”
“Also, more sporting wickets could be used which assist both batters and the bowlers to maintain the balance of the game and make the contest even. Those are the things which ICC should consider while hosting matches during the ongoing pandemic.”
How long do you think it will take for cricket to return to normalcy and can IPL or T20 World Cup take place this year?
“I doubt that T20 World Cup will take place this year but I feel that IPL can take place in September or October because cricketers need lot of practice before playing the World Cup. One can’t come out of the pandemic and straightway participate in a big event like World Cup as players won’t be ready for it."
"So, IPL can give them a platform to play lot of matches and get back into shape. And if IPL happens prior to the T20 World Cup, lot of players will get into groove, they’ll get lot of game time and I think that is very realistic way to go forward.”
Do you think IPL has made it easy for the youngsters to get into the Indian cricket team?
“I think IPL holds a lot of importance nowadays. If any youngster who perform decently at first-class level and he gets to play in IPL also then it helps him as he stays in the picture, he stays in the mind of the selectors and the players who already are part of the Indian cricket team.”
“But I think the players who perform at first-class level but somehow not get picked for IPL, are the ones who unfortunately miss out because they don’t get the needed platform (IPL) despite having a good first-class season. And if they don’t get the stage to perform at IPL, they lose their continuity and are tend to be ignored by selectors.”
“So, IPL holds lot of importance because even if you keep on performing at first-class level but you don’t play in IPL then there is a remote chance of you getting to the top.”
For which IPL team you would have love to play?
“Chennai Super Kings or Mumbai Indians as these two franchises stand out from the rest and they are the most consistent and successful teams in IPL. They spend lot of time, do a good research. They have got many talent scouts who go around the country so they are getting the desired results.”
“CSK have been successful especially because of MS Dhoni, as he has been the guiding force in the team.”
You have been compared to Mohammed Azharuddin for having similar characteristics and playing style. Did that put pressure on you or was that motivating?
“To be honest, I don’t think that my style actually resembles to Azharuddin. I think that I have got very different style. Azharuddin had a very unique style and he was class apart but I never thought that I resemble him and I never tried to copy him.”
When did you decide to become a cricketer?
I think after I cleared my seventh standard, we as a family decided that I move to a better cricketing school just for the sake of playing good cricket. That’s when I probably started taking cricket seriously because my family backed me and they pushed me to achieve milestones in this field.
Even though I was quite decent in the studies, but since I started playing for Mumbai U-16 and then started moving up the ladder, that’s when I took cricket seriously and decided to become a professional cricketer.
Who was your idol while growing up as a cricketer?
“Sachin Tendulkar was the obvious one because while I was young, I used to go and watch lot of his matches. I have seen him play in Ranji trophy. So, I have literally seen him grow into genius that he became. And we have shared Mumbai dressing room, Indian dressing room and I have followed his career quite a lot and also quite keenly. Even before I made my Ranji debut, I used to follow Tendulkar’s game.”
What’s your favourite cricket format?
“I think Test cricket has to be favourite for every cricketer. However, at this time all three formats are important and the audience enjoys watching more IPL and T20 cricket. But as a cricketer you want to do well in the Test format and you get a lot of respect as a cricketer when you perform at international level as a Test player.”
“I feel there is no shortcut in Test cricket. Sometimes in the shorter format, you can get away with lot of things but in Test cricket there is no shortcut neither for a batsman nor for a bowler. If you don’t have the required skills, it will be visible in Test cricket and you can’t get away with it unlike in shorter formats of the game. So, I think Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game for every cricketer. But I think, youngsters need to focus on all three formats of the game. I feel once you are of that age when you can’t go through the grind of Test cricket, then you can slowly shift to the shorter formats, but until you have got the desire and fitness, you need to focus on all three formats of cricket.”
