The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : `Prepare sporting wickets'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 03, 2007
ePaper

Sport

Sport - Cricket

`Prepare sporting wickets'

Principal Correspondent

The job of the coach is to suggest corrective measures

HYDERABAD: Ajit Wadekar, the former India captain, felt that the best option to improve Indian cricket was to have sporting wickets and it should be made mandatory for all big names to play in domestic championships at home. "Only then talented youngsters can pick up the finer points and try to improve their game," he said.

Briefing the media during his visit to the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal on Saturday, Wadekar said many qualified former Test cricketers — like G.R. Viswanath — who are very highly respected by one and all can coach the Indian team.

Indian coach better

On the topic of foreign coach, Wadekar said: "Personally, I believe because of the Indian culture, psyche and varied backgrounds of the Indian players, they can subconsciously form groups. A foreign coach may not be able to understand the nuances or work ethics as well as an Indian coach," he said.

On the general impression that a foreign coach handled the big guns of Indian cricket more comfortably than an Indian, the former captain said that could have been the case earlier when coaches were appointed for short tenures.

On the role of a coach, "The Indian cricketers seem to have little time to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in their game. It is the job of the coach to analyse and suggest corrective measures," pointed out Wadekar.

Was Greg Chappell a success or a failure? "Well, if you look at the sharp dip in world ratings of Indian team, it shows that he failed. Perhaps, because he tried to implement what might have suited the Australian system," said Wadekar.

"When you have players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble in the team and still fail, it indicates that there was something wrong with the coach and not with the players," he added.

Tendulkar knows better

On the criticism that Sachin Tendulkar was not the same batsman as he was earlier despite the two Test centuries against Bangladesh, the former India coach said that having played for 17 years, the issue whether he should continue or not should be left to Sachin. "He knows where exactly he stands and never fakes an injury. But personally, I feel India still needs him badly," he added.

"It is really disturbing that so many young fast bowlers are getting injured. There is something seriously wrong. The support staff and the physio should make comprehensive tests before declaring a player completely fit. On their part, the players have to be honest and never fake injuries. They should look up to the great Kapil Dev as the perfect role model," he said.

Wadekar felt that panic buttons were pressed needlessly after the loss to Bangladesh in the World Cup. "That was only an aberration and after the recent Indian success we know where they stand in world cricket," he said.

He also took a dig at the BCCI and the media for attributing the Indian team's failure in the World Cup to the players' focus being more on endorsements. "You don't get endorsements unless you are successful on the field. And when Sachin can stay focused despite all these things, why not others. Simply put, anyone who doesn't perform despite getting the endorsements, will be out of the team very soon," he said.

On the parallel Indian Cricket League being promoted by Zee network, Wadekar hoped it would only supplement the efforts of the BCCI in promoting the game. "I don't think they are going to clash with the Board on any issue," he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport