The drama ended finally. BCCI now have their new President, but don’t forget there awaits another suspense story, most likely to unravel very soon after the completion of this year’s IPL, which in many aspects looks more pertinent to how Indian cricket will shape up in the coming years and that issue is selecting a coach for the Indian team. Since the unfathomable dip in Duncan Fletcher’s fortunes from the England tour back in 2014 (although he was able to hold on to his job till the 2015 World Cup), Ravi Shastri was appointed as Team Director and continued intermittently till the recently concluded T20 World Cup, step by step moving from one assignment to another with a slow but steady approach.
However, the scenario has changed now. Who would become the chief coach – the issue was put on the backburner. With the majority of the Indian team giving thumbs up to Shastri, and the flamboyant former Indian skipper making it clear that he was relatively happy with the job, it looked like retaining Ravi Shastri a done deal and safest option for BCCI.
To coach the Indian team is arguably the second-most important job in the country with, may be, the responsibility of pleasing more people than even the prime minister has to.
So, when the position is offered to one of India’s most beloved cricketing sons, there are bound to be very high expectations.
Over the past few weeks, although, mixed signals have come. India’s Test captain Virat Kohli has suggested that Daniel Vettori currently working with the Bangalore franchise, would be a great choice for the Indian team too. Whereas country’s batting legend Sunil Gavaskar backed Rahul Dravid to become the next coach, this suggestion was even supported firmly by Harbhajan Singh.
But without going deep into particular individuals and their merits or otherwise, a fundamental question for the BCCI is whether to opt for a foreigner or an Indian. We all know this is not at all a new debate, but no less significant for that, as it will a vital one depending on the fortunes of the side.
Just take a quick look at past, some key members of the Indian dressing-room themselves would want a foreigner to be appointed in order to restrain the politics of Indian cricket out of the dressing room. Think again, as the game itself has become more globalised, the previous concept of `foreigner’ has also got diminished to be fair.
At the same time, coaches who cannot or intentionally not understand `local’ scenarios and ethos may find themselves in some serious trouble. In recent years, the ever-increasing professionalism and media scrutiny have emerged with more accountability and there are none of the usual `shelters’ for Indian coaches.
Again it’s not a simple vanilla choice. A lot of pros and cons to be considered in either situation for the trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V V S Laxman, who are appointed by the board to give advice on choosing the next Indian coach in such matters. But whatever the choice will be, there are some key determinants to be kept in mind.
1. The captain’s opinion is always crucial. Even more so in Indian cricket at present with different captains for Test and limited-overs cricket.
2. The coach has to be in tune with modern cricket and the needs, fears and concerns of today’s players, not living in some time warp.
3. The appointment also has to be for a time being reasonably long enough to make an impact. Five years is too long and one year too little. Three years till the next 50-over World Cup seems just right.
4. This is obviously a lucrative assignment, but there needs to be assurance of delivery of results: good pay and hefty bonuses for defined milestones. Indian cricket remains the richest in the world, yet this team despite having full credential is not the best in the sport. You have to keep in mind, being number 1 in all formats should be the target in near future.
With India scheduled to play 18 Test matches between June 2016 and March 2017, against teams like New Zealand, England and Australia, the squad requires a head coach as soon as possible.