When Aakash Chopra impressed on his Test debut with scores of 42 and 31 against New Zealand at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium in Motera, near Ahmedabad, in October 2003, it was assumed by many that India's search for a reliable opener for the longer version of the game had finally ended.
The Delhi batsman showed he had all the right credentials to be a successful Test opener: technique, temperament, rock-like defence, concentration and determination. He continued to impress for a while, including in the Test series Down Under, where India achieved a rare triumph at Adelaide and threatened to win the series. Though he failed to make a big score, his ability to stay at the wicket and play little but crucial innings raised expectations.
But we were only flattered to be deceived. Exactly a year after his debut he was playing his last Test, against Australia in Nagpur in October 2004. His omission sent his still-celebrating fans into shocked silence. Thankfully, he did not give up hope. He kept performing consistently well in domestic cricket and was rewarded when he was selected to represent India 'A' against South Africa last September.
He responded with a laborious 239 not out in the four-day match in Delhi . He and Subramaniam Badrinath added 410 runs for the unfinished fifth-wicket partnership. The second four-day fixture in Dharmala was washed out and Chopra missed a good chance to play yet another mammoth innings and frustrate the Proteas further.
Chopra's double hundred did not go unnoticed as the BCCI included him in the newly-created D category of the central contracts; the national selectors picked him in the Rest of India for the annual Irani Cup tie against Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai.
Haresh Pandya interviewed him during the Irani Cup match in Rajkot recently.
How hopeful are you of staging a comeback to the Indian team?
I am very optimistic of making a successful comeback in the Test side. I feel very good and happy about my batting as well as form at the moment, which replicates in runs. It has been gelling well.
Where does this optimism come from?
Well, it comes from scoring runs, basically; and also from the fact that the BCCI has included me in the new Grade D category of the central contract system, which means you are among the top players in the country. I think it is recognition of your talent and performance and what you have done in the last one-year or so. It definitely feels good and encouraging. And you feel more secure. It is good to be in the fold and the frame again.
So, if you keep scoring runs, and if there is an opportunity, you might get a look-in.
You have not played a single Test since last three years. How do you feel about it?
Obviously, you feel bad when you are out of the Indian team for a while. It has been a learning curve for me. Being out of the Indian team has given me a lot of time to learn about my game. It has also enabled me to learn about other important things in life, like what is important for you and what is not important for you. You tend to start looking at life from a different perspective altogether. It has actually helped me grow as a person as well as player in the end.
There was a feeling that you had settled down as a solid Test opener, especially after the tour to Australia in 2003-04. Instead you were out of the team for good a few months later. What happened? What went wrong?
Well, I had a few bad games, to be honest. And we lost the Test series against Australia at home. So it was not really a happy ending. But, probably, the story has not finished yet.
You got selected in the India A side to play against the South Africa A team and then in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup. You are also given a central contract, in the Grade D category, by the BCCI. Surely, you are in the reckoning again. With the Indian team again scheduled to tour Down Under later this year, how hopeful and realistic are you about getting selected?
I really do not know whether I am in the reckoning for the Australian tour or not. My only focus right now is playing every new match at a time, and try and score as many runs as I can. There are so many matches to be played in the season. The entire season is ahead of me. Whenever I play, wherever I play, I want to keep doing well. If my performance is there, there is no reason why I cannot or should not, at least be considered for selection.
How was it like scoring a double century (239 not out) against South Africa A?
It felt good. It came against a quality opposition like South Africa and, to top it all, it was the start of the new season. I was happy playing a major innings against such an opposition in my very first match of the season. The double hundred against a very good bowling and fielding side gave me a lot of confidence. It was my highest first-class score also. I think everything has been gelling well for me since the beginning of the season.
If you are not recalled in the immediate future, how many years would you like to give yourself to regain your place in the Indian team? How long are you prepared to wait?
If you are talking about my age, well, age is just a number. But, to answer your question, I really do not know. I have never ever thought about how many years I should wait. It is again looking far too beyond, which I do not like to think. I have not given myself any time limit or deadline. As long as I keep playing, scoring runs and enjoying my cricket, I think I have a decent chance to play for India again. Age really does not matter so long as you are fit and in form and scoring runs consistently.
Are you prepared to bat in the middle-order if the selectors want you to?
I do not know. I mean no one has spoken to me about anything like this. But, obviously, I want to play for the country. So I do not mind whether I have to play as an opener or bat in the middle-order. But I have really not thought about what you are saying because no one has told me about it.
Which aspects of your own batting do you like the most?
I think I am technically very good. Maybe my patience and concentration are also quite good. You can think of a few other good qualities as well. But, at the same time, there must be a few flaws, too, in my batting. So it is just a combination of things. But it really does not matter how good, patient, technically correct and mentally tough you are. What matters in the end is how many runs you score for your team. So that is the main thing -- to score runs and more runs.
When you go out in the middle and everything goes perfectly well for you on that particular day, only then can you score runs. You could be the most technically-equipped batsman in the world, but if you get a good ball in the first over itself, you are back to the pavilion in no time.
You have often failed to convert your potentially good innings into big scores. Why is it so?
Yes, that had been one of the problem areas when I played for the country. But I think I have overcome it since then. Now whenever I get good starts, I successfully convert them into big ones. So that is one area I have probably improved on.
Being a grafter of sorts, how was it like opening the Indian innings in company of the more aggressive and flamboyant Virnder Sehwag during your all-too-brief a Test career?
Well, Sehwag and I are decent mates, anyway. We play for Delhi and we get along well on and off the field. We complement each other. And it replicates in the middle. It is always nice to bat with someone like Sehwag, who takes the pressure off you. He can actually score runs off good balls as well.
I have played 60 per cent of my Test cricket against Australia, which is quite a lot. Of my 10 Tests, I have played six against Australia and two against Pakistan. Both Australia and Pakistan have excellent bowling attacks. When you play against quality opponents, it is always nice to have someone that aggressive at the other end. So it was good to have Sehwag as my opening partner when I played against Australia and Pakistan.
As a specialist opener yourself, how do you feel when a wicketkeeper-batsman like Dinesh Karthik has been asked to play the role of a specialist opening batsman?
He has done a good job. Let us accept it. Obviously, he got the opportunities and he grabbed them with both hands. It is just that the selectors have found one more opener, which means some more competition. But as long as he does well as a specialist opener, you have to persist with him. There are no hard and fast rues that only original, genuine openers can open the innings. By the same token, it is also not necessary that an opener has to be an opener for his entire life. It is really creditable that Karthik has shouldered his responsibility well with good performances.
