Within six months of being appointed coach of the Indian team, I lost my job. My 1983 World Cup colleague S Madan Lal took over from me. I kept wondering what I had done wrong. I discharged my duties honestly, and to the best of my abilities. One day, the penny dropped. I realised that I was coaching the Indian team, and not Madhya Pradesh, whose players were trying to establish themselves.

Got a little carried away

Here, there were big stars. I was a hard coach, which was a mistake. Clearly, I faltered while handling established players, because my stand was wrong. I got a little carried away by my success with MP, India A, and India U-19. The Indian national team is a totally different proposition. You have to handle each senior player differently.