Coaching just happened to me. It was in 2006-07, that I started coaching professionally. It was my first year with the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team. It was one of the toughest seasons because after losing three matches we had to win all the following games outright to avoid relegation, and we went on to win the Trophy. That gave me lots of confidence as a coach. I understood the importance of a coach. The experience taught me a lot besides how to prepare and handle pressure. During my five-year tenure as the coach back then, the team did well to win three trophies.
I had decided that I wanted to have a career in this field and thought I should do something out of the box so I started my own work. I had done coaching courses till Level 3, with Level 2 from South Africa. For three years I was at home after coaching Mumbai and hadn’t taken any assignment. I focused on batting and its various aspects. Doing the Level 3 helped me especially in understanding biomechanics and how to analyse. Also, my learning from being a student of Ramakant Achrekar Sir has helped in coaching batsmen.
I could see that when I talked to the boys as a batsman they would be better convinced while the bowlers would sometimes look at me with a question mark. It was easier for me to convince the batsmen simply because they believed that ‘since he has done it there is some logic behind what he is saying.’ I share my experience of having played 15 years of cricket and being connected with it for more than 25 years.
Player’s trust and patience are the most important factors in one-to-one coaching.
The experience with
Ajinkya Rahane was important. There are no guaranteed solutions. I saw him grow; watched him, did a lot of experiments which helped while working with others. Later, I could filter out some things. With him it was all only about trust.
In one-to-one coaching the player has to come to the coach. So, it was important that I study and stay updated, anticipate and be prepared for the questions that will arise. Professional cricket asks questions and you need answers. So it is about helping them get those answers and prepare them for different types of bowling, formats and wickets. For that, we have to address the root cause of the issue. That is the journey for me is – going back to the basics. I analysed many great batsmen to understand what were the common factors that made them successful.
If I can get 10 per cent of what they did right with the batsmen I work with it, will make a vital difference to them. Bonding was already there with Ajinkya and he was ready to make the changes that I was suggesting. It wasn’t like everything was spot on or a quick remedy. Things don’t just happen like magic, so the player also needs to have patience. It was a test for me as well.
Compared to any other sport, batting is the most difficult skill because the slightest mistake can cost you your wicket. When you are talking about professionals, it can change their career. So we work on the finer nuances and minimizing mistakes.
A solid foundation is important. Every batsman wants to score hundreds, but for that to happen, it is crucial to understand your strengths and have a strong foundation. It is important to know and understand the weakness and be willing to go as deep as required to assess them. There are no short-cuts so I always start from the basics, and I don’t keep it time bound.
Batting is about middling the ball. That is the key for any batsman. To me it is about giving them that feel of middling the ball. A good touch is being able to consistently middle the ball. You have to go back to the basics like the grip - where is the batsman holding the bat. The grip is very important because 80% of the batting are dependent on the grip. If there is a correction, we have to make it there.
There are many things I can’t plan, it is instinctive. I watch and if I feel there is a problem we work on it. Sometimes it’s a top hand correction or a bottom hand correction that might need to be done. And then it’s up to the player whether they are ready. I cannot force them, because the grip changing phase is very painful. Even if it’s just a one inch correction, the use of the entire muscle comes into play and it is difficult so you have to be very careful. There should be understanding with the player that these kind of things going to happen and they have to be ready for it.
Timing is very crucial. I work on the technical changes more during the off season so that they get time to recover and get the new technique imbibed in muscle memory. The coach has to know when to do what. I have to analyse where the batsman is – middle, start or end of the season or off. Sometimes it takes one session sometimes it takes 100 sessions; it varies from person to person. A coach has to be ready to work until the player has resolved the issue. Some can pick up the aspects early, understand it but getting it right in the nets is difficult. At times it works out in the nets, but doing it in the match situation gets difficult. It is a journey so we have to understand which phase the batsman is getting and which phase he is not. The drills ensure they get the best feeling, and then it's about being able to carry it into the match.
Sometimes not to work with a player is also a big thing - allowing them to play their natural game. I have seen Shreyas Iyer since he was as a ten-year old playing at the Shivaji Park Academy and have been part his entire career. I was always a phone call away even when I wasn’t coaching him. I knew about his basics, mental aspects so it was about allowing him to grow and express himself and being there if needed help. He is a different type of Mumbai player. He wants to go there and dominate and that maybe my biggest work, to not have stopped him from doing that; because we sometimes tend to become more traditional. He scores consistently so the coaches have to be open also.
T20 came into the picture a few years back. One needs a different mindset, as a coach you need to understand that as well. If the basics are strong that’s fine, but for the shortest format you need a different attitude, technique and mindset. So work needs to be done on the mental aspect besides the technical aspects. If he has a technical problem where he can’t play a particular delivery then you intervene otherwise let them go and play their natural game.
In IPL we focus on couple of things with Shreyas - couple of drills and then allow him to play. I don’t give instructions all the time. It’s a different format and you have to play it with a different mindset.
Before Shreyas went into the IPL, he had scored runs in the Ranji Trophy, which I think is very crucial. Although he had a poor start, I knew it will happen. He performed under pressure. After the match against Uttar Pradesh in 2014-15 where he performed after a poor start, I challenged him to go and perform at No 3. He took the challenge. It was confidence, not like he had the strongest technique, but I backed him simply because I think he had the attitude. But he had to earn the No 3 spot; he was made to bat lower down till then. You have to make them understand and make them earn their place. Shreyas knew if he didn’t perform against UP, he might lose his place in the side. While outsiders might think he is careless, I know he is sincere. You can’t score if you are not sincere.
Those are the things - allowing him to grow and knowing I am there but not calling them all the time.
Allowing the player to grow is the major thing in one to one coaching, because in the middle they are on their own. They have to take their own decisions. With preparations they learn to do it.
Professional one-to-one coaching started with Robin Uthappa. It isn’t easy to go and tell someone you have a problem. A player needs to be able to go and share their problem with someone. If there are doubts, the coach is there to help. We are watching and so can give them clarity.
There was pressure on me also because when you work professionally the formula is - the failure is coach’s and success belongs to the player.
It is a lot of responsibility because the player has come and surrendered to you. That is how it was Robin.
We started from scratch. And credit to him too because it’s not easy for a 27-year old to accept that he needs help and come and ask for it. I was also going against the tide so that was experience for me as well. Money is a big factor too. There is cost attached to every single session which is otherwise taken care of by the association. We had to pay for the facilities like hiring the ground, paying bowlers as per sessions, helpers and also the accommodation cost.
Khar Gymkhana was generous, but sometimes we have to pay Rs 25000 per session for facilities. Cost is involved and there is no guarantee. It was an investment though. He was prepared to do what was needed. He had told his mother, ‘If I want to play good cricket again I have to go and do the grind and he (Amre) is the one who can guide.’ A Coach can show you the way because we too have gone through it. It started with trying for six months first. If players want to stop we have to stop. However, we are still working.
With batting you need to keep going deeper and keep strengthening your foundation.
