Mumbai: Sunil Gavaskar welcomed the appointments of Ravi Shastri as director of cricket and Sanjay Bangar and Bharat Arun as assistant coaches of the Indian team. But he warned against expecting quick results like instant coffee.
“I think the fact that they have appointed assistant coaches, who have very real interest in Indian cricket as against commercial interests of some others, I think they will make an impact. Mind you, it won’t be an immediate impact. This is not instant coffee. So you just have to be a little more patient,” he told a TV channel.
The former India captain said the likes of Shastri and Bangar will be able to communicate better with the players, as opposed to the foreign coaches. “Communication is very important,” Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar saw another positive in the new appointments. He himself, was a batting consultant back in 2004 when India were being coached by John Wright. The former opener said there was a key difference between his appointment and Shastri’s.
“There is a difference between 2004 and now. Ravi, as I understand, is above Fletcher. In 2004, I was just a consultant and I did not have any powers on selection. I kept myself withdrawn because I did not want to encroach on Wright’s coaching duties. I don’t know what will be Ravi’s exact role but I believe Fletcher will have to report to him,” Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar feels the current Indian team, whose average age is well below 30, has suffered from poor coaching. He hoped the new coaching staff would be able to eliminate the obvious flaws that have crept into the batsmen’s technique.
“There is a certain personal satisfaction that comes in seeing a player become world class. There are coaches at different levels. Some coaches can have a negative impact and that is what you have to watch out for. Wrong coaching with this Indian team has hurt the players,” Gavaskar said.
Earlier in the evening, a BCCI official had told PTI that the board hoped Fletcher would take the hint (after Shastri’s appointment) and put his papers down before the domestic season starts in October.
The five-match ODI series begins on August 25 at Bristol.
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