Too many coaches spoil the broth
CONUNDRUM After Zaheer, Dravid roped in as consultants, coach Shastri hints at having his own set of support staff
Two days is too little a time to make an impact. Not for Ravi Shastri, it seems.
His resurrection at the helm of Team India on Tuesday was seen as a validation of the support he enjoys from Virat Kohli, something which the BCCI’s Cricket AdvisoryCommittee(CAC)overlooked a year back. And a day later, the new head coach’s statements has given enough hints that he might not be on the same page as CAC regarding several other decisions.
The CAC, comprising Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman; surprised all by naming Zaheer Khan as bowling consultant and Rahul Dravid as overseas batting consultant. The duo’s role was announced after a meeting that was supposed to name only the head coach. Both did not even apply for the posts, with Dravid already being the India A and India Under 19 coach. On Thursday, a BCCI release said that both Zaheer and Dravid will be appointed overseas consultants ‘on tour-to-tour basis and whenever required’.
If reports are to be believed then Shastri is looking to get the services of Bharat Arun as the bowling coach. The 54-year-old Arun had earlier been associated with Indian team. He replaced Joe Dawes in 2014 and was there with till 2016 when Shastri was dumped as the Team Director.
It would be interesting to see how the support staff would add up in near future. More importantly, whose instructions would the Indian cricketers follow ultimately. If Arun is indeed hired as the bowling coach and Zaheer is there as the bowling consultant, India will have two experts in the department. Sanjay Bangar is the batting coach while Dravid will accompany the team in important overseas tours. Add to this Shastri himself, and India’s support staff is almost half the entire squad! On record, Shastri have been effusive in his praise of Dravid and Zaheer. “The BCCI can certainly bring in guys like Zaheer and Dravid as consultants from time to time. Their experience is invaluable,” he told TOI.
However, Shastri hinted that Dravid and Zaheer is unlikely to have a full-time role and that he would like to have his own support staff. “But as far as a fulltime support is concerned, I will need to decide on it because it is me who will be working with them for next two years,” he said.
“There are a lot of tours coming up and if I’m responsible for working with this set-up 200 days a year, then it’s me who should be working on my reserves, no?”
So, is Shastri implying that he might not be comfortable with big names being imposed on his team? The last time a top player (Kumble) was imposed on the Indian cricket team, the association ended bitterly as the coach thought his relation with the captain had become ‘untenable’. This time two names have been imposed. One would only hope that relationships to remain tenable, on this occasion. Recently appointed India’s cricket coach Ravi Shastri plans to adopt a more hands-off approach to the role than his predecessor Anil Kumble, with the 55-year-old saying he has no intention of trying to act as a tutor to the players of Team India.
Anil Kumble stepped down last month citing a breakdown in his relationship with skipper Virat Kohli, who according to media reports, resented the former captain’s ‘headmasterly’ methods.
Ravi Shastri was handed the coaching reigns on Tuesday, a year after losing the job to Anil Kumble, and the former India all-rounder promised a fresh outlook to the job.
“At the highest level, cricketers are more or less settled,” Shastri told the Times of India newspaper.
As far as a fulltime support is concerned, I will need to decide on it because it is me who will be working with them for next two years. As long as there’s a level of commitment, the hard yards are being put in and results are showing, why shouldn’t there be fun?”
It is more to do with working on their mental strength, helping their confidence, helping them stay organised as against tinkering with their style of play.
“So it is more to do with working on their mental strength, helping build their confidence, helping them stay organised in their daily activities as against tinkering with their style of play.
“It’s not about ‘tutoring’ them