India has been one of the best teams in the bilateral series in recent years but when it comes to multinational tournaments, Men in Blue failed to hold nerves at crucial moments. Meanwhile, former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh questions coach Rahul Dravid’s ability to manage the T20 team. Bhajji also suggests the name of the former India pacer to replace Dravid.
Looking at the way India has performed in the recent tournaments of 20 overs, ‘The turbonator’ said that someone should replace Rahul Dravid as head coach in the shortest format of the game. Last year after India’s disappointing exit from the 20-20 World Cup, Harbhajan suggested that someone who has played T20 cricket in recent times should be the head coach in the shortest format of the game.
The veteran cricketer, speaking to The Indian Express said, “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 and Hardik Pandya won his first tournament as captain. So, bring someone who understands the concept of T20 and the demands of the game.”
Notably, India has failed to win any multinational tournament in the last 10 years despite making it into the knockouts. Last year, India participated in two tournaments including Asia Cup and the 20-20 World Cup. India lost to Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Asia Cup and failed to make it into the finals of the game, while in World Cup, India lost to England by 10 wickets in the semifinals.
‘Different coaches will make life easier, says Harbhajan Singh
The 42-year-old former bowler claimed that assigning different coaches to various formats will enable them to concentrate on a particular format and make life simpler for both the coaching staff and the players.
“The coach knows that the 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.
