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'Coach must command players' respect'

May 07, 2005 09:00 IST

Chandu Borde, former Test cricketer and ex-chairman of India's selection committee, believes the most important aspect the newly-formed commitee to select a new India coach should look for is whether Team India will give the new coach sufficient respect.

"The names I have heard of so far -- Greg Chappell, Dean Jones, Tom Moody, Sandeep Patil -- all have their own ideas of coaching and are all qualified. I feel the deciding factor would be whether they can command respect from the Indian players," Borde said.

"At the end of the day it is the coach along with the selection committee and captain who decides the future of the team," he added.

Observers say one reason John Wright was successful as India's coach was that he was above the zonal politics that plague Indian cricket.

"It is wrong to say that Indian coaches are biased," Borde felt, "because that is just not true. They cannot afford to have a bias. They have to select the best team because everyone likes to win."

Wright did a good job with the team and during his time in India also passed on his knowledge to coaches at the National Cricket Academy.

"I like what has been done at the NCA. The local coaches have gained expertise and this is the perfect way to groom them for the big job. They have all completed their Level-3 exams and the next time we are looking for a coach, they will all be ready," said Borde.

But would our cricket stars respect these local coaches?

"Among all the Indian cricketers, someone like Sunil Gavaskar would have been ideal as coach. The players would respect him without question. But, unfortunately, he has ruled himself out of the race for the job."

Borde also feels the new coach must be given sufficient time with his wards before judgment can be passed on him.

"A coach must know his players, and to do that he has to spend time with them. In that sense, the new coach will need to have very good man management skills, both on and off the field."

"Obviously, one thing the new coach will have to work on is the fielding, which has been atrocious of late. The other department he will really have to work on is the application that the new players show while batting."

"I was really shocked by the way they played against Pakistan in the last One-Day International. I hope the new coach can sort out all that."

Ashish Magotra in Mumbai