JOMBAY: Former Test captain Ajit Wadkar has alleged that the appointment of S. fenketragh an as manager of the Indian eam that toured the Caribbean recently, vas one of the main reasons for the team’s humiliating defeat against the West Indies.
Wadekar, under whose captainship Venatraghvan had once played on the Indian ricket team, has made several scathing embarks against Venkatraghvan in an interjew. ‘Charging the team manager with misbehaving “at official functions on the tour,” Wadekar says he has known Venkat as an ‘arrogant player” and feels he was totally in suitable as manager.
“But his (Venkat’s) ambitions suited cerain persons on the cricket board who are hemselvesd overambitious,” he says and that this was the reason Venkat was sent as manager despite failing on the Ausralian tour some years ago,
Wadekar says many players had compinined against Venkat’s highhandedness during the Australian tour, and again playsts had narrated to him tales of Venkat’s paughtiness and ineptitude,
Citing an instance of what he described as the team manager’s “rudeness” Wadckar says Veatatwas sleeping m the dressing room durtag a Test match. A player got out cheaply and “aviqusly disturbed from his sleep, Venkat fired the player for being unable to play fast bowling,
“A manager should be a guide aféphilosopher, disciplined, but friendly with the
players all qualilties which Venkat ditt not” he says.
Wadekar recollects that Venkst had been “unpopular” since his playing days and states that in 1974 when he (Wadekar) was a doubtful started in a Test the players nearly revolved on Ieaming that Venkat may lead the side, ‘Wadekar further says that Venkat also proved a poor ambassador of cricket at parties.
Finally, Wadekar sums up that people who blame Vengsarkar should also casigate Venkat and if the board wanted players to be disciplined then the manager too should not be spared.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 4, 1989
