I must be next in line for the job of national coach: Binny

Act 3, Scene 4 of the drama called Indian cricket. With the whole of Indian cricket in flames, burning up, Manoj Prabhakar sits playing his proverbial fiddle. From the left of the stage exits a knight in tarnished armour, Kapil Dev. The players on the stage wait confused. They are not quite sure what to do next. Waiting for instructions, they turn to the next possible knight in shining armour - Roger Michael Humphrey Binny.

No. This is not an Elizabethan drama. When you read the papers and watch the news it often appears that way. This is serious business.

When you look for candidates to take over the largely unenviable task of coaching the Indian team, there are very few people who are qualified, committed and capable as Roger Binny. Speaking exclusively to CricInfo over the telephone on Wednesday, Binny was clear about his plans for the future.

Anand Vasu: You've been to Australia and completed the Level 3 course for coaches. Does that make you one of the most qualified coaches in the country today?

Roger Binny: The Australian Cricket Academy has various levels. From 1 to 3. For Test cricketers level 3 is the right course. I'm not the only one who's done it. Madan Lal, Ashok Malhotra, WV Raman, they've all done this course. Having said that, I must be next in line for the job of national coach. I've coached at the junior level with success and this is just a natural progression. Success in the Youth World Cup is something that will bolster my chances as well.

AV: Just before the Asia Cup, there were some rumours that you might be called up to coach the India team.

RB: Kapil Dev made it very clear that he was available. After that there was no question of anyone else being considered.

AV: Would it be difficult taking over in the existing circumstances?

RB: It's much too early to talk about that. All I can say is that I would be willing to take over at any time. However, as I said, I think it's far too early to talk about that.

AV: In the recently concluded Asia Cup, our mediumpacers took a bashing at the hands of the opposition.

RB: I concede that the wickets were very flat. The conditions were very much in favour of the batsmen. Still, it was not impossible to bowl on even those wickets.

AV: Did the team miss the services of the experienced Venkatesh Prasad?

RB: I guess the presence of an experienced medium pacer like Venky (Prasad) would have helped. But that's no excuse. These guys (Ajit Agarkar, Amit Bhandari and Thirunavukarasu Kumaran) are not bowling for the first time. They should know what to do in the slog overs. How many balls did you see being delivered in the blockhole? You have to stick to the basics in situations like that.

AV: Do you think the team's cause would have been better served if they had picked batsmen who could bowl medium pacers, given the fact the wicket at Dhaka was a batsman's paradise. Say someone like Reetinder Singh Sodhi.

RB: I believe people like Sodhi should be given a chance. Who knows, he might have been very useful in conditions like that.

AV: If, rather when, you take over as coach of the Indian team, do you think you will have to make drastic changes or will it just be a matter of tweaking things?

RB: I don't think it's a matter of making drastic changes. Firstly we need to get the combination right. That will not happen overnight. Once we do get the combination right, it's a question of reversing the current trend. We must get back into the winning habit. Once we do that, all the losses will be forgotten. Nothing will matter. The bottom line after all, is winning.