The former cricketer, Yograj Singh suggested that the Indian team management should have talked to Virat Kohli and asked the batting icon to not use his cover drive, which has resulted in many of his dismissals in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, in which India’s suffered defeat against Australia for the first time in a decade.
In the five Tests Kohli played, he finished with just 190 runs where he was dismissed eight times going after the delivery outside the off-stump line. Speaking on what an international level cricketer needs from the Head Coach, Yograj Singh mentioned that the players need someone who has the man-management skills to improve their game, rather than the typical coaching.
“The role of a coach becomes a significant question when you are playing for India. When you’re an exceptional player representing India, you might not necessarily need coaching in the traditional sense. What you truly need is someone for man management. Sometimes, a player’s mind gets blocked; they might not be scoring runs, or they keep getting out. No matter how great a player is, they can’t be bigger than the game itself,” he told.
Yograj feels that players of the calibre of Kohli and Rohit Sharma need people to point out their technical faults and convey these issues to the players.
“Such players need someone to guide them, to say, ‘Let’s go to the nets and work on this’. For example, Virat Kohli got out many times playing his favourite shot – the right-hand push. That shot works on Indian pitches, in England, and elsewhere. But on certain pitches where the ball bounces and carries more, someone should have told him, ‘Virat, don’t play this shot’. Just play straight or leave this ball,” he commented.
“This illustrates the difference between coaching and management. Identifying and pointing out a player’s technical fault is coaching. Someone needs to recognise and convey these technical issues to the players. But who will tell Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli? Even they want someone to come and tell them what’s going wrong,” Yograj added.
The father of the legendary all-rounder, Yuvraj Singh, feels that there needs to be someone who can manage the situation when a player is down on morale and feels it’s just the nature of the sport.
“I believe what’s needed is proper management – someone who understands when a player’s mind is blocked, when they’re feeling low, and reassures them, saying, ‘Don’t worry, we’re here for you. You’ll do it because you’re a great player.’ Every player faces a downfall, even the greatest ones. It’s part of the game,” he continued.
Yograj reckons that Gambhir was a quality player in his time and also has a brilliant cricketing intellect. However, he feels that there needs to be proper management skills to ensure that the players are kept together as a group.
Speaking about head coach Gautam Gambhir’s coaching style, Singh said, “Gambhir is a brilliant cricketer with a brilliant mind. He has the ability to guide the team forward. However, where there’s a mistake, he points it out – and rightly so. But to hold the younger players together, proper management is essential.”
“Someone needs to tell them, ‘Virat, it’s no big deal; it happens to everyone’. ‘Rohit, don’t worry, these phases come and go’. ‘Bumrah, you’re doing great; just stay focused’. The younger players, especially fast bowlers like Siraj, need to be guided and supported. Someone should stand with them, show them the way, and help them understand the nuances of the game,” he further said.
“When players are down, struggling to perform, management becomes that magic wand that lifts them up,” Singh concluded.
