Question: Do you regret not including VVS Laxman in your team for the 2003 World Cup? You have also written in your book that while coaching India, your only regret is that you did not pick VVS in the World Cup 2003 team?
answer: We were very lucky in that tournament that none of our players got injured, because if one of our senior batsmen got injured and we didn’t have VVS, it would have been a tragedy for us. You know it’s a pity when you look back, because he was a good player, the problem was we were trying to work in our top three. After the World Cup, we went to Pakistan and in a crucial match which was probably the last match of the series, VVS scored 100. It was either 4th or 5th match VVS got batting at 3 in ODI cricket and it was good to see him again. To be honest, my tenure probably wouldn’t have been complete without VVS and Rahul’s individual performances (which saw India beat Australia and then win the series 2-1) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Question: Do you think modern day coaches should be very good with the players or should the coach put more emphasis on his thinking like Greg Chappell did after a few years how do you balance that as a coach where you have to take care of everything You have to go along and at the same time you also respect the team and the captain?
answer: The captain is in charge on the field. A coach just tries to prepare the team well and you try and help each player understand his strengths and improve. So keep it as simple as possible. On many occasions you may not agree with the players, and the players may not agree with you, but you have to respect those opinions and just go ahead with it and that was really important, at times the team may not agree with you But they should feel that you care about them individually and as a team, I think as a coach you should care about the team…and that’s really important because, you know, coaches And the relationship between the players should be positive.
Question: You came to India because of Rahul Dravid. He was playing for Kent and then he met you and he obviously convinced the senior players and then you were appointed as the coach of India, did you ever imagine after 20 years Rahul Dravid would be coaching the Indian team What is your assessment on Rahul’s coaching for almost one year till now?
answer: Well I am not surprised by the achievements of all the players including Rahul, they all are individually contributing in their own way, either through coaching or mentoring or leadership at the state level or at the national level or in the media Well done… I knew then that the players of the Indian team were an outstanding group and today is proof that all those players have made a positive contribution to Indian cricket.
Source: navbharattimes.indiatimes.com
: Language Inputs
This post is sourced from newspapers, magazines and third-party websites. For more information please check NewsDay Express Disclaimer.