What is the role of a captain in an individual game like chess? Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan feels it’s the same as the manager of any football team.

The captain of the Indian men’s team, who won the gold medal for the first time in the Chess Olympiad thatconcluded in Budapest on Sunday, was in transit in Frankfurt on Monday afternoon (India time) when The Telegraph lobbed him the question.

“You know, like a football manager, a chess captain also has to plan things. He has to strategise and decide who will be entrusted with what job. It’s the captain’s responsibility,” Srinath said.

The men’s team comprised Dommaraju Gukesh, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi and Pentala Harikrishna. They are big names in their own right.

“Yes, they are. So you do not have to tell them anything. And that’s the reason we did not have any camp before the Olympiad. But then, strategising is an important thing where the captain’s role becomes significant. How to treat each match... Whether to play solid and defensively against a particular opponent or take an aggressive route against another... It varies from one rival to another,” he added.

“Then who plays on Board 1? It’s the captain who decides. Before Budapest, I gave it a thought and decided it would be Gukesh who would play on the top Board. I shared my thoughts with the rest of the team and nobody objected.”

The gamble paid off. Srinath could have easily gone with his pupil and the new world No. 3 Arjun on Board 1 since he is ranked higher than World Championship Challenger Gukesh. As it turned out, both Gukesh and Arjun were in astounding formright through the tournament and won the individualgold medals in Boards 1 and 3, respectively.

“It was a superhuman effort. I think they would not be able to repeat this performance,” the Chennai-based Grandmaster and alumnus of Velammal Vidyalaya said. “The entire team was brilliant,” he added.

“What they (Gukesh and Arjun) did in the last few days could only be equated with Sachin Tendulkar’s Desert Storm in Sharjah in 1998. Sachin had played many memorable knocks after that, but those innings in Sharjah could never be replicated.”

To Srinath, India’s golden double — the women’s team also won the gold — did not come as a surprise.

“It was bound to happen given the talent we have at our disposal. This will be a huge boost for the game in the country. We came close in Chennai two years back but could not win. That psychological barrier is broken. The wall has been demolished once and for all.”

To some followers of the 64-square game, this winmay finally allow Indian chess to come out of the looming shadow of Viswanathan Anand. Srinath just brushed it aside.

“No way. Anand was, is and will always be there. It’s because of his exploits on the chess board that we all fell for this brilliant mindgame. He is the pathbreaker, the legend. Jasprit Bumrah is a world-class fast bowler. There isno second thought on that. But it was Kapil Dev who showed us what it takes to bowl fast. He is the one who proved even Indians can bowl fast and intimidate batters. It’s as simple as that.”

Srinath said the team could not celebrate much on Sunday due to a tough schedule. After a meeting with the Indian ambassador toHungary, the team went straight to the closing ceremony and then had the mandatory post-tournament newsconference.

“We got just an hour to cherish the success,” said Srinath, whose next assignment will be the London leg of the Global Chess Tourin October.

Personally, he rated the Budapest triumph as one of the most memorable wins of his career. “It will be right up at the top,” said Srinath as he got ready to board the flight back home.