By Gokul
April 13 2006

How is it possible for big-temperament batsmen like Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammad Kaif to suddenly become leaden-footed and technically defunct, game after game? At the international level where teams have access to the best facilities and equipment (videos, computer simulations, net-practice facilities, grade-A English willow bats, high-performance grips, bio-mechanical experts, movement experts, psychologists, clinics, academies, etc.) to help them sort out any weaknesses, one would expect the players to recover from a slump at a much quicker rate than say, 10 years ago when developments in the game were not as advanced.

While the coach cannot bat for out-of-form batsmen in a match, one would think that he would at least be analyzing these batsmen and providing solutions for them to overcome their slump - technical and otherwise. That is what a good old-fashioned coach is expected to do.

The role of the coach has evolved in the last few years with the advent of technology and newer, all-round tactics. The hidden danger is that the over-reliance on such technology and processes is gradually erasing the founding principles of coaching that address Technique, Motivation and Man-management.

Consider a hypothetical situation: A is a top-class experienced batsman who hasn't scored a 50 in over 10 matches and keeps getting out in predictable ways – usually LBW or caught square of the wicket. As a coach, I have the following resources available to me for analysis:

1. Video of the innings and dismissals / Personal observation (Technique)
2. Personality information (Motivation Assessment and Man-management)

From the first resource, I get to see that A's pick-up is dictated not by the top-hand, but by his bottom hand. Weight is thus not being transferred to the front foot to initiate a forward movement. This explains why A gets out LBW so often off the back foot or trapped on the hurried half-cock defense offered. There's more to it when dissected, but this is enough to work on A.

The second resource tells me that A is a brilliant talent who has single-handedly won matches for the team in the past but can be emotional, arrogant and quick to take offense. At the same time, his commitment on the field is unquestionable.

Armed with this knowledge, a possible solution is to approach A with a feeling of triumph for having identified the problem and with an expression of confidence in sorting out the problem. Confidence is welcomed by anyone who has the lack of it. Willingness to work on sorting it out is spurred by my eloquence in recounting a past performance where everything clicked for A and how he can get it all back again. I have shown interest in A and have expressed confidence in his ability despite the odds.

The next step is to get A out in the nets and have him re-learn the technique that has slipped him by. My job as a coach is almost complete after I see him playing with an assurance of one who has recovered his confidence and his technique.

The rewards and bonus come during a match when A gets his long-awaited 50. It may not happen immediately, but it is gratifying for the coach and the player to know that the fluency is back.

The current India coach has sound knowledge on mind-conditioning and possibly visualization techniques to enhance performance, prevent a major slump or recover from one. Whether or not the coach is able to communicate this effectively to every team-man is another question. Still, these methods have been validated recently by Yuvraj Singh who has improved his batting with consistent performances in both ODI and test cricket and by Rahul Dravid who has become one of the toughest cricketers in the world today largely due to his inherent ability.

Secondly, of the few cricketers who have credited the India coach for the difference in their games, no one has said anything about him correcting batting technique the old-fashioned way. Neither does the coach hint about it in his interviews as much as he harps about being mentally tough and about the uses of lateral thinking; the practical application of which is yet to be seen on the field of play unless you would consider the current trend of experiments to be an example.

After watching some of our top-order batsmen repeatedly commit basic errors like allowing the bottom hand to scoop the ball (glaringly visible in England's victory over India in the last one-dayer), consistently getting out to the short ball and playing half-cock (neither forward nor back), one has to question the coach's role in the team. Has he been hired to perform as a 'mind-conditioner' and 'lateral-thinker' or is he supposed to correct technical flaws that have seized the top 5 in India's batting order with the exception of the Captain.

Motivation has been a neglected pillar of effective coaching. Even in an international team of match-winners, not everyone is wired like Rahul Dravid -- self-made, self-motivated and of superior grit and discipline. Anil Kumble and Suresh Raina need to be motivated in ways suited to their different personalities and temperament. A man of Kumble's intelligence and unflinching commitment needs to be assured that he is indispensable. He has earned that title after 17 years in the game and he deserves high praise on a constant basis that could inspire him to a performance that no one, not even himself, would have expected in the years he has left. Raina too needs the motivation in an altogether different way that would inspire a young man of 20 to aspire to heights that Kumble has already reached. Such backing is sometimes exactly what a player at that level needs to perform with renewed vigor.