Atul Wasaan, a former cricketer for India, argued on Friday that India needed to hire the best coaches possible to help the team prepare for the T20 World Cup, and someone like AB de Villiers would have done the trick. In the semifinal on Thursday, Alex Hales and Jos Buttler effortlessly dismantled the Indian attack, advancing England to the final, where they will play Pakistan on Sunday at the MCG.
Wassan claimed that in order to coach the players in the slam-bang format, specialised coaching staff is needed. “We can’t have the same coaching staff for the T20 and Test cricket. You hire the best for T20 format. Why didn’t we hire AB de Villers for the T20 World Cup as a mentor? He could have guided the team better. He can tell the players a bit about manufacturing the shots,” Wassan said.
“This game has proved again and again that you need a new breed. In 2007, we hardly had stars, the team was comprised of youngsters, they played freely and they won the title. We are relying too much on our bigger names to deliver all the time.” Wassan, who played four Tests and nine ODIs for India, said it’s a wrong notion that excelling in IPL will guarantee success in international cricket. “We also wrongly thought that the expertise of IPL will translate into the World Cup success. India is just faltering in big matches in do-or-die situations,” he said.
The 54-year-old, who is currently employed as an expert, believes that India should only select players who are best suited for the T20 format. “We have five ex-captains and eight players who play Test format, competing in T20s. How can’t we find another set of players for T20? You just can’t have the same players. Just because they are big names you (the selectors) are playing them. I think we have to reset the button,” he said.
“With Rohit Sharma, the age factor is there. He looks sluggish. The baggage of stardom is also there. It’s high time that we plan for the next world cup from here on. We have become the new chokers in international cricket. “The team needs to change its mindset and approach to do well in the T20 format.”
