With India’s early departure from the 2007 Cricket World Cup, reams and reams of paper and airtime worth crores have been spent debating who should be India’s next coach. But one look at the requirements of the team, however, indicates that what the team in fact needs is a manager and not a coach. Team India needs a man who would be able to manage egos and issues. Ego management will result in better bonding within the team, while issue management would result in a healthier environment among the team and between the Board and the players. The two have often been at loggerheads over issues related to players, contracts and endorsements. World over, the demand for specialists is on the rise. But while the BCCI wants to take the way forward by inducting newer faces and fresher legs in the side, it’s take on coaches has been traditional – look for a generalist.
Md Ziyaullah Khan
Pune