There have been discussions on split coaching in the Indian team for quite a long time now, and former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has been among the few who has been in support of split coaching.
Harbhajan Singh feels that someone like Virender Sehwag or Ashish Nehra, who understands the concept of T20 and demands of the game, can be given the responsibility to mentor the T20 side.
“Yes, you have two captains, so you can have two coaches. Why not? Someone whose planning is different. Like England has done with Brendon McCullum. Someone like Virender Sehwag or Ashish Nehra who worked with Gujarat Titans and Hardik Pandya won his first tournament (IPL) as captain. So, bring someone who understands the concept of T20 and demands of the game,” Harbhajan said during an Idea Exchange session of The Indian Express.
Also read: Chetan Sharma resigns from the post of BCCI Chief Selector
“The coach knows that focus is on T20 cricket. Say if Ashish Nehra is the T20 coach, then he knows that his job is to make the Indian team champions in the T20 format, and Rahul Dravid knows he has to work on how the Indian team can be No.1 in Tests and ODIs,” Harbhajan added.
Harbhajan also urged the Indian team to show a little more intent as they gear up for the 2023 ODI World Cup.
“I think we need to show a little more intent. If you are playing T20s then you can’t play it like a one-day match. If you are playing one-day, you can’t play it like a Test match. We can’t be dependent on two-three players to win you the championship. When you have a World Cup in front of you, you need eight to nine guys performing at the same time. One or two players can win you matches, but it is the team which can win you the tournament,” he said.