Ravi Shastri : Coach’s role is to stay in the background
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Team India’s new head coach Ravi Shastri has stated his position on coach-captain dynamics saying that the coach’s role is to stay in the background while the captain leads the team. The 55-year-old will join the team on the long tour of Sri Lanka starting July 19.
Kumble resigned from the post of the Indian coach stating his relationship with Indian skipper Virat Kohli was 'untenable'. After that, the CAC – Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman - was burdened with the responsibility of searching for a new head coach for Team India. Shastri not only beat the other applicants but also got the job till 2019 World Cup. He was the front-runner among them, owing to his chemistry with Indian skipper Virat Kohli. After getting the role, the former Indian cricketer has stated his views on the roles of the ciach and captain.
"It's always the captain's team and it is the leader who calls the shots. That's how it has always worked. A coach's role, effectively speaking, is to stay in the background and let the onus be on the players. The coach and support staff's role is to get the players in the most brilliant frame of mind to execute things and if done effectively, it brings enjoyment to the player's game," Shastri told TOI.
Shastri was the director of the team from 2014 to 2016 and was then one of the front-runners in last year’s coach selection. During his tenure that started during the middle of the England tour, Shastri had played a significant role in anchoring Test series wins against Sri Lanka (away) and South Africa (home), and India’s journey to the 2015 World T20 semifinal. But CAC was impressed by the Anil Kumble’s presentation over Shastri’s application.
"There was nothing personal. I really hadn't begun to understand the seriousness of this. But when I sat down and gave it a serious thought, I began to tell myself: 'Here is a unit that I have been part of and enjoyed a great working relationship with. Having been part of the unit that helped it become No. 1, I thought the onus is on me now to make it work again, in the best interests of everybody involved. That's when I knew it's time for me to apply again."
Earlier, Shastri was not interested in applying for the role of the coach, and hence subsequently didn't apply when the first deadline for applications closed, probably because of the treatment he faced last year.
"I'm simply going to press the refresh button and begin from where I left. I know what I'm stepping into, players have an idea of what's coming, so that ticks the first box. Just to give you an idea, I won't be spending the first six to eight months in the job warming up to the team. That had already been accomplished in my previous stint. This time, it's going to be about getting on the job from day one."
