Bear in mind nothing lasts forever: Abhinav Bindra

Abhinav Bindra, India’s only individual gold medallist in the Olympics and a former world No.1 (owing to a long break, he’s No.4 now) in shooting, spoke to The Telegraph, the other day, on being at the very top and on cricket.

The following are excerpts

Q You’re the reigning world and Olympic champion in the 10m rifle. For a period, those successes made you the No.1. Were you, at any time, conscious of that?

A For me, winning a world title or an Olympic gold is more important than having a particular ranking... Rankings probably glorify the sport, that’s it... In shooting, rankings started in 2005 and, today, they matter because of Wada... The top-ranked shooters come under scrutiny... (After a pause) I’m not obsessed with rankings, but they exist in black and white.

Keen on cricket, what’s your take on Team India becoming No.1 in Tests?

It’s absolutely fantastic... Test cricket is, after all, the purest form of the sport... It would be great to have a World Test Championship and that would make the rankings more meaningful... The Australians are no longer No.1 in Tests, but I’ve been an admirer... They’re No.1 in the ODIs, but had briefly slipped from that position... That, however, didn’t reduce my admiration for a country which has won three World Cups in a row...

What has been the difference between this Indian team and others of the past?

We’ve seen a progression... There are many aspects to this climb, one being that today’s generation is more confident and more aggressive... Is far more competitive... Then, facilities have improved and there are many in the support staff to help... Also, besides the senior pros, some good players have worn the India colours in the past few years... They’ve brought quite a few things to the table.

Did you follow the recent Brabourne Test, after which we became No.1?

(Excitedly) I did... I watched (Virender) Sehwag’s innings of 293... What I admire about him is that he plays his natural game, whatever be the situation... He may not do well all the time, but doesn’t change his approach... Sehwag’s consistent with his style of play.

Having been a No.1, what would you tell Team India?

Offer my congratulations, first... I assume they’ll always be playing to win, so I won’t have to say much, really.

Isn’t retaining the No.1 position possibly tougher than getting there?

Shouldn’t be a problem if you play to win and, in that process, achieve a high degree of consistency.

Surely, there’s more pressure on a No.1?

There is... I mean, you can’t go any further... The only way, then, is down... When you’re the best, you can try to get better, but you can’t have a higher ranking than No.1... So, there’s definitely pressure...

You hold the biggest titles, but aren’t the No.1 today. How will you handle pressure in 2010, the year of the World Championships (in Munich) and the Commonwealth Games (in New Delhi)?

I look at it differently... To talk of the Commonwealth Games, I already have six medals from such competitions and will be looking to enjoy myself... I’ll be looking to prepare to the best of my ability... That, indeed, is the bottomline... In terms of preparations, I need to be at my best mentally, physically and tactically... If I’m ready in all respects, the result will take care of itself... I detach myself from the outcome... Of course, I’ll definitely be backing myself.

Sachin Tendulkar has been one of your heroes. When did you meet him for the first time?

During the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia... I remember requesting him to pose for a photograph... I still have it...

What did you tell him?

Not much, it was rushed... The first time that we really talked was during a recent awards function (in Mumbai)... Sachin wanted to know what had been my thoughts going into the last shot in Beijing.

So, what did you say?

That I’d been aggressive in the mind... That I badly wanted to score and take the gold medal.

Which is the last Sachin innings that caught your attention?

The one in Hyderabad recently, against Australia... Sachin scored 175... I’d been training in Germany, so had to follow it on the net.

Besides Sachin, who is the one cricketer you’d pay to watch?

Nobody, perhaps... It was during the 1996 World Cup that Sachin’s performance (523 runs in seven matches) attracted me to cricket... Nobody has mattered more... I haven’t looked beyond Sachin, so I don’t know what will happen when he retires!

Any thoughts on the present captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni?

Look, any captain is as good as his team... Dhoni is fortunate to have such good players under him... He’s been successful... Comes across as calm... If the going becomes rough, we should be patient and let him be...

Should something like T20 come into shooting?

(Laughs) We have that, for example, in the Bundesliga... Instead of 60, the competition is limited to 40 shots. The biggest difference is in the atmosphere... It’s open to spectators and they’re allowed to cheer their favourites... Can get very noisy... Takes time to get used to it.

How should success and the money which comes with it, one example being through the IPL, be handled?

You’ve got to accept that there will be good days and bad... Enjoy your moment of success, but don’t allow it to go to your head... Bear in mind that nothing lasts forever.

The last one: In a few days, your 16-month break from competitive shooting will end... A new journey, then, is about to begin...

Actually, after Beijing, I wanted to quit... I went through different emotions and I wanted the true answer to come from within... Didn’t force anything on myself...