CHENNAI: On Saturday, the MS Dhoni-CSS High Performance Centre was launched at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER), Porur. This is an alliance between MS Dhoni Cricket Academy and Centre for Sports Science, SRIHER. Former South Africa batsman Daryll Cullinan is the director of coaching.
MS Dhoni Cricket Academy is run by Aarka Sports Private Limited, a company that also manages the former India captain. Dhoni is not directly involved with operations of the academy, but has a stake in it and gives suggestions. The coaching programme has been named The Dhoni Way, based on inputs from the legendary player.
"We are aware Dhoni has a large fan following here, but the main reason was comprehensive facilities under one roof. Plus, it is recognised by ICC and BCCI. It is one of a kind in world cricket,'' explained Mihir Diwakar, MD of Aarka Sports.
Cullinan was impressed by the facilities for cricket and other sports on the campus. He is keen to teach the right methods from a young age. "I intend to teach players the smart way to learn the finer points of the game at a young age. Technical, mental and physical aspects are very important. My intention is to see that the talents get good exposure, not just here but from all over India,'' said Cullinan.
Talking about the performance of the Indian team, Cullinan felt adjusting to formats is not easy. "It is not easy to adapt from one format to another straight away. You need to have a couple of practice games in order to adapt, but due to Covid-19. At least in Australia one got to see the public back in the stands for all the matches. It is nice to have fans back. By the middle of next year things should be normal,'' hoped Cullinan.
India in the first T20I made a lot of changes and it seems they have started experimenting for the World Cup. "India have some experienced players and we should also give some exposure to youngsters. Winning is important and players should play every game having the World Cup in mind,'' he opined.
Split captaincy has worked in Australia, West Indies, England and South Africa. After Rohit Sharma won the IPL for Mumbai Indians for the fifth time, there has been a clamour among former players for split captaincy in India. "He (Virat Kohli) has not done badly, why change the captain,'' signed off Cullinan.