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The Raj Singh Dungarpur Chat

Raj Singh Dungarpur, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, put in an appearance on The Rediff Chat and, after one hour and fortyfive minutes of taking queries from cricket fans across the globe, left promising that this taste of live chat had merely whetted his appetite, and that he would be back for more.

We'll let you know when the second innings is slated for, but in the meantime, follow Mr Dungarpur's first essay on The Rediff Chat, ball by ball...

Enjoy!

Prem Panicker (Fri Oct 25 19:55:59 1996 )

Hello, all, how's it going?

Hi Prem,I forgot to say thank you for a great day.

Hello

Welcome to the Rediff Chat. It is wonderful to have you with us. I do hope you enjoy the experience.

PREM>>you there?

Hi Prem ..this is Amit

Hullo all.

Prem..why are we here? Is Mr. Dungapur in

Snip>> Hi there. Mr Raj Singh Dungarpur has just arrived, give him a second to settle down and he will be with you. Meanwhile, nice to have had your company on the commentary/chat, as usual. :-)

Amit>> Relax, pal, we are just using the cricket page to host this chat, instead of the usual Rediff Guest Chat room. How's things, and how come I didn't see you on for the game today? :-)

Prem are you iN bOmbay and is Mr. Dungapur in Bombay also

hi prem this is steel

Amit, yes, we are both in Bombay.

Prem>>HAd an exam this morning.. I think I did average.. hey I will be there for the India vs Aussies though

I think his name is Mr Dungarpur

hi prem this is steel

Hullo, Mr Raj Singh. A lot of hope rests on you, Sir. We have lost a lot of ground in world cricket. The BCCi may be very rich, but I am afraid we are poor cricket-wise. It is good to have someone who knows and loves the game as much as you as BCCI chief. What, sir, is your vision for Indian cricket?

Okay, guys, Mr Raj Singh Dungarpur is here with us. Mr Dungarpur, congratulations on your taking over the BCCI presidentship and welcome to REdiff Chat, we hope you enjoy this experience. Over to you guys, fire away.

Hello, I am quite fascinated to be on the Internet. And look forward for your questions to the best of my ability.

Hullo, Mr Raj Singh. A lot of hope rests on you, Sir. We have lost a lot of ground in world cricket. The BCCi may be very rich, but I am afraid we are poor cricket-wise. It is good to have someone who knows and loves the game as much as you as BCCI chief. What, sir, is your vision for Indian cricket?

Sidhu picked for the team..i just read it on rediff guys.. what do you think? I think they should have picked him for the first three matches and we would have won atleast one more match

Hi Mr.Raj SIngh.. Why was Sidhu not included for the first three games and why is he being included now

Good evening, Mr Dungarpur. Just curious - is M L Jaisimha right when, in his latest column on this site, he implies that umpires standing for the Titan Cup are selected on a zonal basis? If so, do you have any plans to change the system?

Guys, a little tip. Take the questions one by one, give Mr Dungarpur time to give you the kind of detailed answers you are looking for. :-)

Hello Mr. Singh. Sir, cricket has changed a great deal in the past 4 or 5 years. The West-Indians and indeed everyone played for the flare. Now cricket is very professional, typified by the south-africans. How is this adjustment coming along in Indian cricket?

Mr Dungarpur there's some allegation that although you are a good choice for the BCCI presidency there are a lot of hangers on around you who sometimes misguide you.

Raj Purohit: Yes, Raj as far as I am concerned, my vision of Indian cricket is to concentrate on the junior level of cricket. Under 19 and Under 16 cricketers and to prepare them, physically and mentally to be able to meet the challenges of very high frequency of International cricket which is extremely demanding. You can't do a great deal with the present Indian team because the national team is the end product. But where the future lies is to prepare the future Indian cricketer. Not just cricketingly but to meet the demands particularly of limited overs cricket, very high physical fitness and mental toughness.

How much say does a BCCI chief have in the selection of the Indian team? Can you tell Mr Desai and Sachin that byou want x player out and y player in?

Snip: I have no hangers on and have always exercised my own judgement which I derived from having played first class cricket for 16 years and been in and out of the board of cricket control for 20+ years. Having had the experience of tbeing a selector in two terms, having managed the Indian team four time on overseas tour. I reckon, I know the scenario of Indian cricket reasonably well.

Raj Saab! hi! yeh Raghu Lincoln, USA se. Ki haal hai Indian Cricket ki?

Steel: Indian cricket is on threshold of being professionalised. It's a culture which is begining to unfold and obviously it will take some more time to come to the level of say South AFricans who are truly an outstanding cricket team both in talent and it's professional approach.

main apne Umpires ke baare mein sooch raha tha. aap Neutral umpires ko kyun nahin lagate hain matches mein ?

Mr Dungarpur, is it not true that you were one of those who ousted Srikanth from the captaincy because he was close to Kapil Dev?

Photograph: Rajesh Kerkera