Pros and cons of the Indian team having different coaches for different formats

Is it profitable for Indian cricket to have different coaches for different formats?

There have been reports in the media that Indian team can appoint different coaches for different formats.There can be a different coach for limited overs (ODIs and T20Is) and a different coach for Tests. England had employed this theory of different coaches from 2012-2014 with Ashley Giles coaching the limited overs team and Andy Flower coaching the test team. But the question is whether the different coaches theory will work in Indian cricket or not. So let’s take a look at the pros and cons of having different coaches for different formats in the Indian setup.

So let us start with the analysis of the advantages of having different coaches:

Specialist coaches can give better advice

There is no denying the fact that if a coach has played a particular format of the game himself, he will understand that format better. With the advent of T20 cricket and the ODIs becoming more fast-paced, one has to wonder whether the best coach in these formats should be a person who has himself tasted the flavour of these formats. Similarly a coach who is more comfortable with the Tests can stick with that format.

Different coaches in different formats will allow the board to appoint specialists for each format. In this way the coach will be able to understand the problems faced by the players in a much better way and he will have a proper solution for those problems. Specialist coaches will have the skill set required for that particular format which will eventually help the players.

Workload of the coaches will be reduced

Indian team has been playing a lot of cricket since the last few years. We are also witnessing more and more players needing rests during a series. In the current day scenario of so much cricket, even the support staff needs rest. Appointing different coaches for limited overs cricket and tests will allow the specific coaches enough rest in between the series and they will be fresh whenever they are on duty.

A coach who is specific to a particular format will also get adequate time to devise strategies for the upcoming series. As he is not a part of each format, he can solely focus on the format he has been assigned with and thus chalk out better tactics.

Now let’s have a look at some of the disadvantages of different coaches for different formats:

Players common in all formats have to adjust from one series to another

In every team there are some players who are equally good in playing all the formats. Even in Indian team there are players like Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane who are a part of all the three formats of ODIs, Tests and T20Is. When there will be different coaches in different formats, these players will have to adjust with the strategy of different coaches on a series-to-series basis.

If a batsman is having a technical problem then he needs some time to resolve that error in his batting. When he approaches the coach with his problem, both of them will chalk out a plan and work accordingly. But with coaches switching on a series-to-series basis, a player may not get adequate time with the coach to resolve his issues. The lack of continuity can be a serious issue as a result of having different coaches.

Losing coach will face undue pressure

Barring one or two teams in international cricket, all the teams playing the highest level of the game are more comfortable with one format of the game than the other. Similarly, the Indian team looks to be more of an ODI powerhouse at present than a Test powerhouse.

In a scenario of different coaches, if a team in a particular format doesn’t perform while the team in the other format exceeds the expectations, then there will be undue pressure at times on the losing coach.The coaches will be under pressure to perform in every series else they might face the axe. This doesn’t sound like a profitable situation for Indian cricket.

*

Analyzing both the pros and cons of having different coaches, it looks like a tricky situation with both pros and cons presenting a strong case. If Indian cricket wants to have different coaches for different formats then it will make sense to first ask the senior players in the team if they are open to this idea. This is because the players themselves will face the consequences, in case the experiment fails. If players are open to the idea of having different coaches and if the BCCI thinks it is a step in the right direction, the board should begin searching for specialist coaches for Tests and limited overs cricket.