Former Indian player Harbhajan Singh has called on the national team to introduce split coaching roles in future. The 42-year-old believes that India should have a manager who understands the nuances of T20 cricket well enough, allowing them to focus on a single format.
While Rahul Dravid is currently the sole manager of the Indian team, there has been a change in the captaincy since the T20 World Cup 2022. Rohit Sharma is the Men in Blue’s Test and ODI captain, while Hardik Pandya is in charge of the T20I team. However, the BCCI has yet to officially appoint Pandya as the captain of the T20I.
Speaking to the Indian Express, Harbhajan watched as England appointed Brendon McCullum as their manager in Test cricket and Matthew Mott for the limited overs format. Harbhajan also pitched Ashish Nehra for the role of India’s T20I coach as the Gujarat Titans won the IPL title in 2022.
“Yes, you have two captains, so you can have two managers. Why not? Someone whose planning is different. Like England have done with Brendon McCullum. Someone like Virender Sehwag or Ashish Nehra who worked with Gujarat Titans and Hardik Pandya won his first tournament as captain. So bring someone who understands the concept of T20 and the demands of the game.”
“The coach knows that the focus is on T20 cricket. Let’s say if Ashish Nehra is the T20 coach, then he knows that his job is to make the Indian team champion in the T20 format, and Rahul Dravid knows that he has to work on how the Indian team can be number 1 in tests and ODIs”.
England have had productive results since they introduced split training. Under McCullum, England won 10 of their 11 Tests, while Mott led them to their second T20 World Cup victory last year.
“We cannot depend on two or three players to win the championship” – Harbhajan Singh
Reflecting on the team’s performances at ICC events, the former Indian cricketer feels they should show more determination and avoid over-reliance on a few players. Harbhajan added:
“I think we need to show a little more intention. If you’re playing T20, you can’t play it as a one day match. If you’re playing one day, you can’t play it as a test match.” We cannot depend on two or three players to win the championship. When you have a World Cup in front of you, you need eight or nine players at the same time.”
The Men in Blue have not won an ICC event since 2013 and have often stumbled in knockout games. India will have a chance to win their third ODI World Cup later this year at home.