CHENNAI: What is the job of the chief coach in a cricket team? Most international sides have batting, bowling and fielding coaches. Some of them also hire consultants for spin bowlers and professionals to help batsmen get better against spin. Several teams travel with mental conditioning experts. With so many specialists in charge of different departments, what does the chief coach do?
At the moment, the answer does not need much brainstorming. The position Ravi Shastri is in sums up succinctly the responsibilities of a chief coach. The Indians have got off to a bad start in Australia and there is a serious threat that it might get worse. Considering that they will be there for about seven more weeks, the cumulative weight of setbacks can be morale-crushing. It’s in times like these that the presence of a chief coach becomes important.
In two stints in this role, other than winning a Test series in Australia in 2018-19, Shastri has tasted defeats in England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. But the team had won something on those tours, Tests or ODIs or T20Is. In some form, there were silver linings. This time it looks ominous, with Australia attacking the weak spots and India suffering in the absence of Plan B. There isn’t much to change in terms of personnel or options. The team will be further weakened once Virat Kohli goes on paternity leave after the first Test. Unless they win at least some of the next few fixtures (one ODI, three T20Is), their mental state before the Test series will be terrible.
As coach and player who experienced highs and lows, the primary challenge for Shastri is keeping morale intact. Team spirit will obviously be low after defeats and under the circumstances, it’s his responsibility to stop it from sinking deeper. He has to get the players to accept defeats, identify mistakes, plan afresh, hatch some of those plans and reboot, other than making them believe that they can do it. He has to be the shoulder they can cry and vent it out on and the reassuring arm around their shoulders at the same time. Easier said than done? When was the chief coach’s job an easy one!
Those who played with and under Shastri in international and domestic cricket consider him to be a sound motivator and tactician, who seldom spoke for the sake of speaking. He meant what he said and on many occasions, let his actions speak for himself. He understands better than most what is going wrong and must be plotting a way back. Of course, it will depend on the players whether the team wins games or not, but the chief coach has to play his part in this. Possibly a first step in that direction would be cheering them up, reminding them that they have beaten Australia in the recent past and what has to be done if they are to do it again. Defeats dent confidence and the chief coach has to play the role of a shock-absorber here, impressing upon his wards that this too shall pass.
Although Shastri has remained predominantly behind the scenes and let Kohli be in the forefront, his comment that this is the best Indian team ever raised eyebrows not long ago. It’s not clear if it was meant or said to boost team confidence. History shows that other than the Test series win in Australia in 2018-19, his team did not achieve anything that their predecessors had not. In fact, teams from the past had done better in England, South Africa and New Zealand. Despite the best pace attack the country has ever had, India’s away record under Shastri is still by and large a tale of unfulfilled promises and what-could-have-beens.
The next few weeks will put Kohli’s team and their chief coach to a stern test. Like rewards for wins, there could be recrimination for losses. As individuals who bat, bowl and field, players will be responsible for what happens. As chief coach, Shastri will deservingly be praised for being instrumental if the team stages a comeback. If not, questions will be asked whether he actually tried to build that best Indian team or made tall claims.