Catch up with 'Free Hit', a series of exclusive video interviews with players, officials and TV pundits from the Indian Premier League.
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Read the full story: https://bit.ly/3jwHuMH
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
#IPL2020 #cricket #sport
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00:00When the IPL got cancelled in March, I was on call with you and constantly bugging you,
00:05saying, what do you think? Will it happen? Will it happen? Will it happen?
00:08Finally, it's happening. Your first thoughts.
00:16Hello and welcome to this very special show, Free Hit. We are celebrating the IPL here on
00:22Gulf News. And today, somebody who's the face in many way of Indian sport. I mean,
00:27JSW has done incredible to improve Indian sport over the years. Currently, the owner and the
00:35face of the Delhi Capitals team, someone who's a deep, deep passion, whose passion is almost
00:42infectious for sport. He's done tremendous work for Olympic sport and someone I consider a very
00:47dear friend. Welcome Parth Jindal to the show. First things first, Parth, when the IPL got
00:52cancelled in March, I was on call with you and constantly bugging you, saying, what do you think?
00:57Will it happen? Will it happen? Will it happen? Finally, it's happening. Your first thoughts.
01:02No, it's incredible. I think the IPL is exactly what the country needs at the moment.
01:07Obviously, we're in the grips of a very severe pandemic. But I think, you know, we have to all
01:14come out of this. And they always say every doctor who you talk to will always say that positivity
01:20is infectious and positivity is needed to fight any disease. And I think the IPL will inject that
01:26positivity into the economy and into all of us. And, you know, I'm thrilled that the IPL is
01:31happening. And, you know, give big kudos to the BCCI under Sourav and to the government for allowing
01:38the IPL to happen in Dubai, in the UAE. And, you know, I just can't wait counting down the days now.
01:44Absolutely. I mean, you know, I was actually having a chat with Sunil Gavaskar and I asked him this.
01:49I said, Sunil, there are so many people who criticize the IPL. Unfortunately, the IPL is not
01:53simply about the stars. There's a whole industry, there's a whole ecosystem behind it.
01:57The IPL has become, you know, a full-fledged business. It's an integral part of so many
02:05people's lives and livelihoods, you know, from journalists to sportsmen, to advertisers, to
02:12agencies, to marketers, you know, everyone depends a lot on IPL. You know, it's a very important part
02:19of the calendar for many reasons, for sport, of course, for journalism, of course, but even for
02:26advertising and in turn for the economy. So, you know, it's a great thing that it's happening.
02:32A lot of money was at stake for everybody, for Star Sports, for BCCI, for all of us franchise
02:39owners. It also shows how serious we are as a country for sport and how serious we are about
02:47sport because globally, all major leagues have resumed and it would have been a real shame if
02:54the Indian Premier League, which is our premier sporting property did not take place, but
03:00it speaks volumes of our ambition as a sporting nation that it's happening and to see the
03:08kind of response everyone is giving IPL, you know, it truly shows how far the league has come
03:15from a fledgling league in 2008 till now. You know, it's amazing how big this has become.
03:22If you don your team owner hat of the Delhi Capitals, Parth, how will you look? Last year, you guys came
03:28close. You were real close and your team was playing well, but this year,
03:34Don, from the auction, I know you were happy, but give me a sense of where the team is. They're
03:39in Dubai. They're there. Give me a sense of how it is all shaping up for the Delhi Capitals.
03:44I think from last year to this year, I feel like we have strengthened our squad. If you look at
03:51the kind of trades we have made, bringing in Ravi Chandran Ashwin into the team, bringing in Ajinkya Rahane
03:57into the team, these are two top Indian players and two top IPL players and performers.
04:04So the fact that two captains, one the former Kings XI captain and the former Rajasthan Royals
04:10captain, both chose Delhi Capitals, you know, speaks volumes about our ambition. I think beyond that,
04:17you know, we strengthened our middle order last year. You know, if Rishabh Pant or Shreyas Iyer got out
04:23early, Delhi would collapse and we would find it very difficult to close out games.
04:29This year, bringing in the likes of Shimran Hetmaya, bringing in the likes of Alex Carey,
04:34bringing in the likes of Marcus Stoinis, I think we've strengthened our middle order
04:39substantially. And then, when you look at our bowling, you know, last year when Kagiso Rabada,
04:44who had a phenomenal IPL, left us during the playoffs due to the World Cup. Again, our team
04:50fell apart and Mahendra Singh Dhoni took us to the cleaners in that playoff game. So I think this
04:56year, with the likes of Anrich Nortje, you know, with the likes of, obviously, Mohit Sharma and
05:03Ishan Sharma, we have strengthened our bowling, fast bowling as well. So overall, I think, you know,
05:10we have a much more complete squad. And it's a great thing that Ricky Ponting is going to have a lot
05:16on his plate. He's going to find it very difficult to select the XI. And that's always
05:22a great problem to have. And as an owner or as management, that's what we can do. We can give
05:30the head coach and the captain the best squad that they can possibly have. And then let them pull
05:35their hair out to figure out who is in the XI. Beautifully said. Before I ask you a lot more,
05:41but one very personal question. You'll miss Sourav. You'll miss Dada. He's your friend.
05:47Come on, talk about that. I mean, I know. And he joined Delhi Capitals at your behest. And all of
05:51us know that this is a deep personal bond. How much will you miss Sourav Ganguly?
05:55Oh, my God. On one hand, Sourav is like family. He's been a mentor to me,
06:04like an older brother to me. He is my absolute hero. When I look back at my childhood and I look
06:10back at one of the most influential people in my childhood, I would say it is Sourav Ganguly.
06:16When I had the first opportunity to meet him in 2007, I literally started crying because I couldn't
06:22believe that I was meeting him. In my college room, on one side of my college room, I had a
06:29flag of India. And on the other side, I had a photograph of Sourav Ganguly with his famous
06:35cover drive. So, he means a lot to me. JSW coming into cricket has Sourav to thank. Sourav actually
06:45was the one who got in touch with us and said that GMR Group and Kiran Rao are looking at a
06:51partner. And Sourav was the one who actually made the deal happen. When he decided to join
06:58Delhi Capitals as our mentor last season, it was a huge moment for all of us. It was a big honour
07:04for us to have him. And the kind of positivity he brought to the squad, the kind of fire that he
07:10brought to the squad, and the kind of respect he brought to the squad, really symbolizes
07:17what he was as a captain and what he is as an administrator. When he called me and said,
07:23I got selected as the BCCI president, I won't be able to be with Delhi. I was very
07:30disappointed and very sad. But I know that deep down inside his heart, Delhi Capitals is a very
07:37integral part. And whenever his stint with the BCCI or later the ICC or wherever he goes,
07:45whenever it comes to an end, the door at Delhi Capitals will always be wide open for him. And
07:52we can't wait to get him back. The squad is going to miss him deeply. I was talking to Rishabh Pant
07:58and Shikhar Dhawan, and they were both very, very sad that Dada won't be in the dugout.
08:06Ajinkya Rahane and Ashwin, one of the big reasons they chose Delhi Capitals was because of Dada
08:11and because of the calls Dada made to them. So they were also saying that he's not with us,
08:18but he's with us, but he's not with us. So we'll miss him. The moment last year when
08:24Dada did the fist pump and did the roar, that really symbolizes him as a leader.
08:32He's infectious. But I think Shreyas and Ricky, we've all learned a lot from Dada.
08:40Dada's also brought a lot to our strategy over the years. And we'll miss him, but we know
08:48he's with us. You are a leader, Parth. And you are not a leader simply in terms of business.
08:54I have seen you evolve into a leader of society. What your company, what you have done for the
08:59country in terms of during the pandemic, the amount of help you have given is unbelievably
09:05good. So we celebrate you for that as well. If I ask Parth Jindal, the leader, how have you seen
09:11Shreyas Iyer evolve? I have seen in him a real, true leader for the future. Do you agree with me?
09:17How have you seen him evolve in the last one and a half, two years?
09:21No, absolutely. I think that fated day when Gautam Gambhir stepped down from the
09:29captaincy of Delhi Daredevils in 2018, we all were actually, there was a little bit of
09:35panic in the dressing room as well as amongst the management. Why has Gauti
09:41stepped down? And what are we going to do now? We were, I think, six games in, five losses,
09:48one win. And in stepped Shreyas Iyer. And Ricky said that Shreyas is the right choice.
09:56We must entrust him with the job. And he's a wonderful player. He's a show-starter in I11.
10:04And this is the time to back Shreyas Iyer. Kiran and I had a deep discussion about it.
10:10Obviously, Kiran and the GMR group have to take a lot of credit for that decision.
10:15They backed Shreyas Iyer when he was an unknown entity in 2015. And they stuck with him
10:24through the years. When Kiran said, we're giving the captaincy to Shreyas, we all had our doubts.
10:30But the way in those eight games, the way Shreyas marshaled the troops, and it's not easy to
10:38be standing at the tops with a Mahindra Singh Dhoni or with a Virat Kohli or with a Rohit Sharma.
10:46With all these stalwarts of the game who are legends in their own right. And at that time,
10:52Shreyas hadn't even cemented his place in the Indian team. So, it was a big step-up for him.
10:58But youth, we all have youth on our side. And the confidence and exuberance of youth
11:05was there for all to see. Whether it was his big necklaces, whether it was his wrap, whether it was
11:10his upside-down cap. He brought a new energy to the franchise. He, along with Prithvi Shaw,
11:16the shenanigans they had on social media, it brought cool and it brought swag into the team,
11:24which really was very nice to see. He has strong belief in his own ability. And we saw that
11:33in the IPL last season, marshalling the troops. We were joint first in the league stage.
11:40We lost out on net run rate. And then, in the playoffs, he did a fantastic job.
11:48And obviously, since last year till now, he's had another year of international cricket under him.
11:54And a very good year.
11:57Very good year. He's chomping at the bits to get a test call-out now. That's what we discussed
12:03last week. And he said, my dream is to play test-match cricket for India. And I'm looking
12:11forward to an opportunity there. I said, what else is your dream? He said, my other dream is to win
12:16the IPL. Win the IPL. Yeah, I don't know how to say that. I said, that's what I want to hear.
12:21I'm a big believer in his ability. And I'm very happy with the choice. And can't wait to see
12:29what he does this season. You create a team also for the fans. Because Delhi, you have
12:35serious fandom in that city. People supporting you. People supporting the franchise. They will
12:41miss out this year. Can't go to the stadiums, etc. But you will still play for the fans, right?
12:46You're just still about them. I mean, at the back of your mind, whether it is fan engagement
12:51through LED boards and technology or whatever it is. I mean, Delhi Capitals will still be playing
12:56for the Delhi Capitals fans. A word on that. Absolutely. I think the fans are why we exist.
13:03And the fans make us who we are. It's very clear. Last to last year, when I had just started
13:09getting involved with the franchise, I remember the Kotla. And I remember how polarised the
13:15Kotla used to be. When Virat Kohli would come with his RCB into Delhi, entire stadium, Bhoria,
13:23I kid you not, would be cheering for Kohli. And when Dhoni would come, the entire stadium
13:30would be yellow. So, last year, there was a tipping point. There was a turning point
13:38where we were able to connect more with our fans. That super over when Kagiso Rabada got
13:45under Russell. Clean bowl. Middle stump. Cartwheeling. I was at Coventry. I remember that.
13:51That changed Delhi. And that changed the fans' belief in Delhi. And we saw after that the kind
13:59of blue wave in the stadium. The DC Toli became alive, who are our ultra fans. They travelled
14:07with the team. In a way, this season is a slight dampener. We had a lot of momentum that we had
14:14built up. Lot of excitement in Delhi to watch the new team this year. But at the end of the day,
14:20we are going to do everything to engage with our fans. This team is for every single Delhiite.
14:27This team is for every single Northern Indian who supports it. IPL has never been
14:35won by a Northern Indian team barring Rajasthan Royals in the first season.
14:40We have to bring the trophy back to the North. That's the dream and that's the vision for this
14:47season. Before your team assembles, two of your people have spiced it up. An interesting, healthy
14:52discussion going on there. Man Kading, yes or no? Ravi Chandran, Ashwin, Ricky Ponting.
14:58For example, I. If there is a rule, and by the way, as a historian of the sport,
15:02Bill Brown was warned by Vinu Bhai in 1947-48. So he was well within the rules, as was Ash.
15:08So in that sense, if there is a rule, Ash played by the rules. What's your personal take? And this
15:12has created quite a flutter on social media. The good thing to see is tremendous mutual respect.
15:18Having said that, what's your take as team owner? It wouldn't be right for me to comment on this
15:23because a lot has already been written about it. A lot has already been said. And this has thrown
15:28the cricketing world into, you know, it has split the cricketing world completely.
15:33I for one, believe that there is something, there are rules for a reason. And what happened
15:44last season with Butler was very important. It's a very important thing for the sport.
15:51If you look at how much, what separated India from winning the World Cup
15:57last year, it was Mahinder Singh Dhoni, who was run out by this much.
16:00One inch, yeah.
16:02You know, one inch. If he had taken that one inch forward during the bowler's run-up,
16:08then maybe he would have been in, and maybe India would have beaten New Zealand and gotten
16:11in to play England in the final. What separated CSK from losing the final to Mumbai Indians in
16:16the IPL? Mahinder Singh Dhoni by this much again, right? So there are rules for a reason. People
16:23must follow the rules. Having said that, what happened last year is great. Now every batsman
16:29will think twice before doing something. And that's the way it should be. And there should be
16:35respect. I think you answered it brilliantly.
16:40No, there should be respect. You know, Borya, I believe there should be respect. You must
16:46adhere to spirit of the game. But at the same time, spirit of the game means,
16:52follow the rules. And whether I would do what Ash did, that's a million-dollar question. It takes
17:00a lot of courage to do what Ravi Chandra and Ashwin did. I salute him for what he did. But
17:06at the same time, it's a very sore topic. And the two captains should talk before a match and say,
17:17hey, buddy, if your batsman is out of the crease, don't blame me if I do something.
17:25It should be equal for both teams.
17:26You have spoken from the perspective of a statesman. And that is what I appreciate.
17:31Final words? Bio bubble, no fans after such a long wait. Incredible that the tournament is
17:37happening. Can't wait for it to begin. All said and done, Parth Jindal, we show tremendous strength
17:43in being able to pull it off. Final thoughts? The tournament is just days away. Bio bubble,
17:48you will be in that thing. How tough will it be? You can't meet your players as and when. You have
17:53to be in that little zone. Will it be mentally challenging? How are you looking at all of this?
17:58It will be a very different IPL. I have been watching the CPL on television. And it's a
18:04different ballgame altogether, playing in front of empty crowds, etc. I am looking at the positives.
18:11We are so fortunate to have live sport back. These players are so fortunate to do what they
18:16love the most and that's play cricket. It's a wonderful achievement by all concerned
18:21to stage this grand tournament in the UAE. It's definitely going to be difficult.
18:29I am going to be having to interact with both Ricky and Shreyas over Zoom. It will require
18:34discipline. They always say athletes are always the most disciplined people in society. It is
18:42only them who can live away from their families for so many days, live in one hotel room. However
18:50grand the hotel room is, it is not home. It's not easy. But they have this wonderful opportunity
18:57to do what they love and that's play cricket. I am excited. I am going to be in Dubai. I am not
19:02going to be in the bubble. But just be there, support them, cheer them on. And cheer on,
19:09more than Delhi, I want to cheer on the IPL. That's so well. I will finish on that.
19:17He will cheer on for the IPL and I think that's where he is resonating the views of 1.3 billion
19:23Indians who want positivity and optimism and a different sea, not Corona, but cricket to come
19:29back to their lives. Different numbers, not the number of infections and the number of recoveries,
19:34but run rate and scoring rates. So we want different numbers to come back to our lives.
19:39Parth Jindal, you've made it happen. As franchise owner, you've made it happen and you stand for all
19:43of this. So more power to you, more strength to you when you're in Dubai. Trust you me, I'll bug
19:47you more. You've got to come back to this show and the others I do because you are someone I love to
19:52have with me all the time. So pleasure talking to you. Thank you very much for being part of FreeHit.
19:57As I said, look forward to many more. Thank you very much. Thank you.