India’s first World Cup-winning captain, Kapil Dev, on Thursday said a modern-day head coach’s role is more about “managing” players than actually coaching them, amid criticism surrounding Gautam Gambhir’s working style.
Following India’s 0-2 Test series defeat to South Africa, Gambhir has come under fire as India’s head coach, and his ploy of constant player rotation and reliance on part-timers have been slammed.
Kapil said the term ‘coach’ is often misunderstood in contemporary cricket.
“Today the word ‘coach’ is very common. Gautam Gambhir can’t be a coach. He can be a manager of the team,” Kapil said at the Indian Chamber of Commerce’s centenary session.
“When you say coach, coach is where I learn in the school and college (sic). Those were the people, my coach there,” he added.
Kapil said, “How can Gautam be a coach to a leg-spinner or to the wicketkeeper?” “I think you have to manage. That’s more important. As a manager, you give them encouragement to say, ‘You can do it,’ because when you become a manager, the young boys look up to you,” he said.
“How can my manager or captain give me that comfort? That’s what the manager’s and captain’s job is—to give comfort to the team and always say, ‘You can do better.’ That’s the way I look at it.” Kapil said his own philosophy as captain was to back players going through a lean phase.
“I think you have to give comfort to the people who are not playing well. If somebody made a hundred I don’t want to have a drink and dinner with him,” he said.
“There are a lot of people there… As a captain, I would like to have a drink with people, or I like to have dinner with people who are not performing.
“You need to give them the confidence, and that’s what happens. So, I think it’s very important as a captain, and your role is not only your performance; it is also about putting the team together.”
Comments are closed.