When in 1994, a niggling knee injury finally forced Kapil Dev to quit the international limelight as a cricketer, the all-rounder had planned a career as a commentator on television. He spoke with authority and feeling about the game but, unfortunately for him, his communication skills failed him. He was to realise very quickly that in the world of Oxbridge accents and the gift of the gab, he just could not be the best.All through his cricketing career, Kapil had striven to be the best. Indeed, he achieved preeminence as an all-rounder. His 434 victims in Test cricket - nobody has reached that summit so far - his breathtaking aggression with the bat and an outstanding agility on the field make him, along with Sunil Gavaskar, the most talked-about player in the history of sub-continental cricket. The standards he had set for himself were high, very high - he had to be either the best in his trade or nothing.Once he walked out of the commentator's box he concentrated solely on his business ventures.His company, Dev and Dev, which does liaison work for companies here and abroad, today has a turnover of a few crores. Kapil is more than proud of the fact that he could well be the highest income tax payee among his tribe. His business acumen should cause some introspection in those who feel that Kapil's skills as a cricketer came from his earthy instincts and not from planning and thinking.Having established his business, Kapil - so used to public adulation - started making his forays into the public arena as a very vocal critic of cricket administration in the country. His was a strong voice. He even tried to become the secretary of the Haryana Cricket Association but did not succeed. Playing cricket and trying to outwit firmly entrenched vested interests are two different ball games.But despite that setback, Kapil was very keen to involve himself with the game which had given him so much - joy, adulation, fame and riches. The opportunity has now come his way. The Indian Board, facing the wrath ofa hostile public for being more committed to itself rather than Indian cricket, has turned to Kapil to bail it out. Kapil, on his part, waiting for a challenge to surface, was willing to take on the responsibility. Today, the captain of the 1983 World Cup winning team is going to be the coach of a team which seems unable to cope up with a taxing international schedule, the spate of injuries that is plaguing it stars and a paucity of new talent.What will Kapil's response to the challenge be? A few days before being appointed coach for a two-year period, Kapil had talked about the powers which he thought the coach should have in India if he has to make a serious effort to improve the success rate of the team: a three-year stint, a say in selecting the team and the freedom to involve himself with junior and domestic cricket. All over the cricket-playing world, coaches are given these powers so that they can implement their agenda without the fear of meddling from vested interests on the governing body. InIndia, a coach is appointed by the Board without going into the merits of the candidate. Once appointed, he is given little, or no powers, so that he has to willy-nilly remain subservient to it. Kapil, aware of this, wanted the freedom and space to do what he thinks is best for the team. That he has accepted this job without these conditions being fulfilled is hard to believe.Given his stature in the game and his fierce commitment to the job at hand, Kapil today is in a position where he can force self-serving Board officials to make some structural changes in the running of the game. Domestic cricket is in a shambles, international players are jaded and in the absence of a strong, responsible guiding authority at the top, the Indian team lacks drive and discipline.Even a country like Sri Lanka, which came into Test status only in the 1980s, has realised the importance of a coach. The former Australian player, Dave Whatmore, who guided Arjuna Ranatunga's men to victory in the 1996 World Cup, has beengiven sweeping powers. His word is law. He was removed after Sri Lanka won the World Cup but after their disastrous performance in the 1999 World Cup, Whatmore was recalled. His job is to prepare the team for the 2003 World Cup, and within months of his taking back the job, Sri Lanka's performance has shown an upward swing.It is obvious that a trained coach - Whatmore holds a four-year degree in coaching from the Australian institute - who also knows the nuances of the game and is given absolute freedom to take decisions, can have a positive effect on the team.Kapil may lack Whatmore's trained skills, but his immense experience, knowledge of the game, ability to motivate and a fierce desire to be the best in whatever he does, are his strong points. In doing his job he is bound to come into conflict with the establishment. If he can force the administration to make some major changes in the administration of the game, that in itself would be a great achievement. As Kapil puts it: ``It is the quality ofthe game that should improve, not its quantity.
