After playing for so many years and coaching various teams, I feel a player’s temperament, match situations and calculations are three most crucial factors to coaching.
Awareness and understanding of these three aspects play a major role for any player, whether he is a 15-year-old or an international cricketer. These factors play a big role in four-day cricket. In every session, you find something different coming at you and you need to handle that accordingly.
Handling a situation is linked to a player’s temperament. So as a coach, I always prefer to talk to the boys along these three parameters.
For example there are situations when a team is struggling to score runs. How do you deal with that? It is here that calculations come in to play. There could be a particular bowler who is bowling well and one batsman is finding it difficult to handle him, so the other batsman who is more comfortable against that particular bowler can be given the initiative to take strike.
One has to be calculative while tackling a bowler. If a particular bowler is likely to bowl maybe a maximum five or six-over spell, the batsman should be aware of it and take that into account. Figure out how many overs he has bowled and the number of overs he is still likely to bowl. Then accordingly show the presence of mind and not try and challenge him.
When we talk about temperament, match situations also come into play. In a situation where a bowler is trying to attack a batsman, trying to bowl bouncers to get him out with the short ball; the batsman has to maintain his temperament to negotiate the situation. The batsman should stay calm; take it as a challenge to stay at the crease. A batsman must remember that maybe after a few overs he will be able to settle down and then try and take on the bowler and score the runs.
Team coaching is also dependent on planning and strategy because ultimately each bowler and batsman has to be assigned a specific role. While assigning roles to the players I have one-on-one chats with them to help them understand their role, their game and how they can contribute in the best way.
For an instance every bowler likes to take five wickets but it does not always happen. As a coach, I lay out a plan for them and explain them their role. I give them the required confidence and tell them not to worry even if they do not get wickets. I know they will be doing the job assigned to them and I back them.
In the Mumbai team there are some attacking bowlers and others who can support them. So we make strategies for a particular session and a day accordingly.
The strategy is also works the other way round. When a bowler is bowling to a top class batsman, he tries to attack him, but it has to be a calculated attack. Assess the situation where you actually want to attack and show your temperament as well.
You can build pressure by bringing the non striker and opening up one end. When you know a particular batsman is weak in playing certain shots, you can always set the right field or invite him to play the shots he likes. You can set him up by forcing him to make mistakes. The bowler’s rhythm, pitch conditions and all other factors also come in to play.
One should always remember that things don’t always go according to your way. Timing is also equally important in implementing your strategy.
I have the habit of writing down a player’s entire innings or spell and then try to get the key points across to him during one-to-one sessions. In those sessions, we discuss and explain how to improve further. When I am watching the game, as a coach, I put myself in a player’s position.
I write it all down and share it with him, which I call ‘clues’ that I give him. Showing him charts and diagrams of where they have scored, leaked runs etc helps them understand the points better.
I also work with the players on mental aspects as well and convey everything in a positive manner. But at this level, I believe that an individual player should have his own clues too.
It is important to bring to their notice their shortcomings too. I sit with them and explain and demonstrate how the changes can impact them in the long run.
We worked with Suryakumar Yadav on his batting. He had the habit of playing towards mid-wicket which was pointed out to him. There are certain things which you cannot change at this age. You cannot force anyone but it’s the job of the coach to guide him and probably tell him that this could be done in a better way.
It is also up to the player how he takes those suggestions since the players have sort of comfort one. So I put it across to him showing him how the improvisations could help him probably play for another 20 years.
If you put things like that it in their mind then certain players accept it and understand it. At this level everyone wants to play for the country and they think about these kind of small clues are of help. So now someone like him says, ‘I never used to play straight drives and now I am playing straight drives very often’.
Clues are something I also send the team’s way or to the captain during breaks and while planning for the next day or session from my observations and notes. I share when they have to accelerate. I have to send the message in at the right time. We also discuss what the coming session would be like. I give an outline of that session, what would be best for the team and how we can execute our planning.
There are technical aspects while coaching a team and coaching an individual, but like mentioned above, there are three important factors – temperament, situation and calculation that impact the game.
