Setting fielding standards high
R. Sridhar, over the past six years, has moulded the Indian team into a formidable elding unit. A friend to the players, Sridhar is always there to lend an ear, helping the players overcome every obstacle.
Sridhar feels the players will come out stronger from the present crisis — the COVID19 pandemic — and says: “All the boys are elite cricketers, so the skills will not desert them. They will, at the most, need a bit of brushing up and a bit of practice. This is a good time to develop mentally and understand life and see the big picture,” he said. In a chat with Sportstar, India’s elding coach spoke on a range of issues…
How has been the experience so far?
I am fortunate to be with the Indian team since 2014. This is possibly the longest gap due to the prevailing situation. But overall, it has been a fabulous journey. I have enjoyed every bit of it. It’s been a great learning for me, and if I have managed to help a few players, then it’s denitely worth the eort.
There was a time when tness was not taken too seriously. But over the years, that approach has changed...
For a elding coach or an assistant coach, the main objective is to work in sync with the vision and philosophy of the head coach and the captain. When I came, (M.S.) Dhoni was the captain and Ravi Shastri was the Team Director. Now, Virat (Kohli) is the captain [Shastri is head coach] and the emphasis on elding has been immense. That really worked in my favour, to push the boys, to get them out of their comfort zone. As a coach, it was important to understand what the players felt about elding.
Ravi’s vision was that we should have 11 best elders while playing. Whenever there has been a marquee series, we have given a lot of emphasis on elding. Be it Ravi, MS or Virat — they have all vouched for that. And Virat has immense passion on the eld. It helps me go about my business in a professional and ruthless manner.
Even the boys are tness freaks...
Look, that has happened because of the culture we have set. When M.S. took over more than a decade ago, he set a standard. And now, that has passed on to the state teams, the India A teams and also the National Cricket Academy, the India U19s. Everyone is now aware of the standards. Subsequently, after Virat took over, the culture has only enhanced. That has brought about a revolution in elding and tness in our country. So, it’s not that things happened suddenly, a culture had to be set rst. It has been purposely created, adhered to, so that it becomes a way of life. Virat has turned the
culture into a tradition.
A habit pursued over a period of a few years becomes a culture and after a decade, the culture becomes a tradition. That’s exactly what has happened. We now try to develop the tradition, which we can leave behind for the generations to come.
You spoke about the culture. If you could explain what is it all about?
It is about being fearless and honest. Any player who walks into the squad learns from the seniors around. The players ask for feedback, they follow a strict diet, a set sleeping pattern, so when someone comes in, he embraces the culture.
Having worked with both M.S. and Virat, what are your thoughts on their captaincy styles?
Each guy is dierent and has his own way of handling stu, which must be respected. There is no one way to skin the cat. You can do it in many ways, and can still reach the same destination. Ravi allows the players to be themselves as much as possible. It provides condence and security.
It was M.S. who built this team. It is because of him that the team is where it is today. He backed the youngsters and everyone in the team is aware of that. They look up to him. Virat is now taking things forward. He will do anything for the team. He is always thinking how to go ahead. Whenever we catch up for a meal or a coee, all we discuss is how to move forward and what can be done. He is thinking about the team 24X7, throughout the year. That’s a great thing and we want those kind of leaders to take Indian cricket forward.
Have you been in touch with the players during this lockdown?
We have been in touch with a few boys and we are grateful to be safe and at home. They are very compassionate and feel a lot for the migrant workers who are struggling and are also feeling for the poor people, who are struggling to make ends meet. Most of the players are young and they are doing their bit for the society, in every single way they can. This is a great development time for the players — not physically or skilfully, but in terms of mindset and in terms of becoming better people. Once they go through this, I am sure they will come out as better human beings. They will understand that life is far more important than sports. They will approach the tough situations in cricket a lot dierently now. It is not only the Indian team which is in this situation, the entire world is going through this crisis. So, when things resume, it will be a levelplaying eld.
How do you see this muchneeded break for the support sta?
We have been on the road for nine months since the World Cup and we came back home on March 14. This is something people fail to realise that due to dierent formats, there is a constant shifting for the support sta. It’s bit of a challenge but we love it. Every time we get this summer break — during the IPL — it helps our shoulders rest. We can do some training. It gives a lot of time to reect and learn. That’s a key area of coaching. These breaks give you time to physically freshen up, and also allow you to learn something new. This is when you prepare for the next season and learn from the past. Most importantly, it gives you a chance to be with family.
How much does technology help the coaches?
There has been a rapid rise of technology and use of data in sports. When we played, we would rely mostly on senior players. The job of a coach is to soak it in, interpret it in the right way and just pass on the relevant information to the players. Excessive information is as dangerous as no information, so there should not be an overload of information. Every team has data of every player, so words spread fast. The use of data has only made the game more interesting and competitive.
The players consider you as their friend but in tough times, who is your goto man?
Bharat Arun is my punching bag. Some of the best coaching moments for me have been on a coee outing or dinner. Most of the time, I try to coach the person and not the player. Mistakes could have been made by the player, but I try not to attend to their mistakes and look at the emotional side of it. In times of crisis, Arun is a great guy to have in the team. He is my mentor as well, and has an extremely good sense of humour. There are days when you feel lonely and frustrated, but there is no point thinking too much about what people feel as long as you are doing your job.