CHENNAI: In the aftermath of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy defeat Down Under, one of the first changes made with regards to the Indian team is the addition of Sitanshu Kotak as batting coach for the ongoing series against England. Kotak, a veteran coach from the National Cricket Academy, has worked with the A teams as well as the second string teams in the past, but this time, he is with the senior team, working alongside head coach Gautam Gambhir.
While he needs no introduction to the players — most of them have either been part of the A sides or visited the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru — Kotak is nicely settling into the role and is excited about this stint. For him, it is all about identifying individual batters’ plan and working according to that, especially with the fast-paced nature of the white-ball formats. “Every individual has their own unique way of playing the game.
There are a lot of different things they look at,” Kotak explained in Rajkot ahead of the third T20I against England. “Abhishek (Sharma) is someone who is great with his hands, offside shots and probably all around the ground. Tilak (Varma) is someone who will have very clear plans about which bowlers, how he wants to take on, where he wants to use the pace.
It is not only two of them I think up to number eight, even the bowlers, we talk and we make a plan. Every player would have a different plan and they all have different areas and different ways to play. I have to just see that as long as they’re comfortable and then what I can aid, where they get benefitted. Maybe not very fast, but one thing at a time,” he added.
While working with the youngsters and up and coming batters is one thing, the case of seniors like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are different. Both proven performers are going through a lean phase, but Kotak wants to understand their way of thinking, planning and see if he can contribute in any way possible. “If I can add value to 2-5 per cent, that’s a great thing.
Because of the amount of cricket they’ve played and where they have performed, it won’t be unfair to say there might be a lot of things for me to learn from them. That’s the way this game goes. You have to be open and you have to be ready to learn. But if they’re in a mindset, during that point of a time, if they’re ready to take any inputs, yes, I would have certain things in my mind and I’ll share. But it has to be the right time and they should feel that they’re ready,” explained Kotak.
Kotak’s inclusion to the support staff comes at a time when the batters struggled in the longest format putting the likes of Abhishek Nayar, Ryan Ten Doeschate and their role under the lens.
For now, India will be looking to seal the series in Rajkot, in what is expected to be a high-scoring contest. “Normally, Rajkot is known for a good batting track. So, I think it should be a high-scoring game. I think I wouldn’t say any areas we will look at because England are also coming with certain plans. They are also bowling in certain areas. So, batters will react to what they are bowling, their plans and they change their plans as well. Every team does. We also do. So, that all depends on how they can adapt to the pace of the wicket and bounce of the wicket at that time,” Kotak said.