By CricketCountry Staff
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said that he is willing to coach the Indian team, if offered the job by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Published: Sep 06, 2012, 02:14 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 06, 2012, 02:14 PM (IST)
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly emphasised that despite the added importance of a coach in the modern game, it’s the captain who should take the final decision during key moments © AFP
By CricketCountry Staff
New Delhi: Sep 6, 2012
Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said that he is willing to coach the Indian team, if offered the job by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
He said, “Obviously, I have interest in coaching but only time will tell what can happen in future. If the BCCI feels that I can be a good coach to the team, I will be ready.
“I feel I can create a difference in terms of the ability of the players, their form and their development. That will be one way of my repaying the game.”
Ganguly, however, emphasised that despite the added importance of a coach in the modern game, it’s the captain who needs to take final decision during key moments.
He was quoted by NDTV as saying, “A captain has to take certain on-the-field decisions. When I was captain for five-six years there were many occasions when I had to reverse whatever we had decided in the team meetings according to situations.
“The coach is just there to help the captain and have the players ready for games, but the coach will always take a back seat as ultimately the players will go out and perform.
“Whosoever it can be, a Ganguly or a Rahul Dravid, may be a Sachin Tendulkar and a Duncan Fletcher, the coach will have to support the captain through his man management skills.”
Ganguly suggested that it would be ideal if Duncan Fletcher continues to be India coach till 2015 World Cup.
“The World Cup is three years away and if the team does well in this season, obviously Duncan will be given an extended contract till the World Cup,” he said. “I think we need to back Duncan as he needs good results. He has a young side under him and he would need to work hard for the team to win outside of the sub-continent. Before him, Gary Kirsten had a very important stint and the team played very well under him so I would really want Duncan to do well.”
However, he further added that, it’s time for an Indian to take up coach’s job of the national team.
Ganguly said, “When John Wright came in, the situation was different and the need was to have a foreign coach who could expose the players to modern fitness and training methods.
“Different captains and different coaches brought in that culture within the team where the players believed they could do well abroad. But the Indian cricket is well aware of the modern techniques now.”
