After the clean sweep of the home Test series against New Zealand and Team India’s disappointing performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), many questions have been raised in the dressing room of Indian cricket. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made new rules for the players, questioned the captain and coach, and reviewed the team’s performance.
In this context, the Champions Trophy to be held in 2025 is considered very important for the Indian team and the coaching staff. Even after this tournament, the team and coaching staff will be reviewed.
Will two coaching systems be right for the Indian team?
A big suggestion has come forward in Indian cricket – to adopt two different coaching systems. Former England cricketer Monty Panesar and former India chief selector Sunil Joshi have shared different views on this.
Monty Panesar: The perfect choice for workload management
Experienced England cricketer Monty Panesar believes that two coaching systems can be better for the Indian team.
- Panesar’s argument:
- The workload may be too much for Gambhir.
- When the coach is a former teammate, it may be difficult for the players to accept his suggestions.
- Gambhir’s international record (especially in Australia and England) may raise questions from the coaching point of view.
- Panesar concludes:
He suggested that one coach should be given the responsibility of white-ball cricket (ODI and T20) and the other for Test cricket.
Sunil Joshi: Opposition to two coaching systems
India’s former chief selector Sunil Joshi rejected the idea outright.
- Joshi’s argument:
- It is not right to overreact to the BGT result.
- He said that we should accept the defeat and appreciate Australia’s better performance.
- A large part of Indian players play all three formats, so having different coaches can create confusion.
- Joshi’s conclusion:
- “We do not need to take the Western path. We should focus on our style and process.”
- He gave the example of England, which had earlier adopted split coaching but has now appointed Brendon McCullum as the head coach of all three formats.
Possible advantages and disadvantages of two coaching systems
Advantages:
- Workload Management:
- By distributing coaching for different formats, the workload can be managed better.
- Expertise:
- Test and limited overs cricket have different strategies. Different coaches can give better instructions to the players as per the format.
Loss:
- Confusion and inconsistency:
- Different coaching styles can create confusion among the players.
- Maintaining team unity can be difficult.
- Previous Experience:
- The England team did not implement split coaching successfully.
- Later he established stability by appointing Brendon McCullum as the coach of all three formats.
