Foreign Coaches in the IPL: Renowned batsman and former captain of the Indian cricket team, Sunil Gavaskar, has been making headlines this month with his views about foreign coaches in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
According to Gavaskar, foreign coaches represent a “disadvantage” to the world of Indian cricket, as it gives them the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge about Indian players and how they perform.
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Insider information
This issue was recently brought to the fore by an incident that took place during the Edgbaston Test when England and India were battling for victory.
The England coach, Brendon McCullum, who had spent time with the Indian team Kolkata Knight Riders, gave signals to his bowlers during the game, directing them to bowl short deliveries to KKR captain, Shreyas Iyer.
In other words, McCullum was able to use previous observations he had made whilst working with Iyer to benefit his own English players.
Responding to this particular moment, Sunil Gavaskar said: “It is something that we need to look at when it comes to coaches in the IPL. You have a lot of players who are coaching their national teams.
And when they come to the IPL, they tend to see our players first-hand. Now getting data from the computer and seeing players first hand is something different,”
Gavaskar also went on to add, “So it is of disadvantage to Indian cricket because some of them may go back and assist. Perhaps not be the main coaches but assistant coaches or batting consultants or bowling consultants, who are coming and going about Indian players. Getting the information straight away, may not be beneficial for India.”
These fears over in-depth knowledge about Indian players being used against them by foreign coaches were perhaps preying on the minds of players as the T10 played out this month.
If you yourself have a keen interest in the latest cricket results – whether it’s the T10 live score or any other big match – you may also be pondering this newly highlighted problem in the world of cricket. Is Gavaskar right to voice these concerns, and could this be a serious issue for the Indian cricket team going forward?
Fair play?
The issue of foreign coaches in the IPL is a thorny one and was already receiving criticism two years ago, from the likes of Dilip Vengsarkar, former captain and chairman of selectors at the time.
Vengsarkar, who is renowned for his forthright views on Indian cricket, expressed his belief that “more Indian coaches should coach the IPL teams, simply because they have the experience; they have also been coaching the states exceedingly well.” He went on to say, “So why should we hire foreign coaches?
I feel our coaches are equally good and some of them are even better. It’s time we give more opportunity to Indian coaches, I am sure they will do exceedingly well.”
Fast forward to 2022, and while it is unclear whether or not McCullum’s signaling during the match made any real difference in the Edgbaston Test, in which India experienced a 7-wicket loss, the fact that the England coach was using in-depth knowledge about a particular player he had worked with does raise the question of insider information.
At the very least, as Gavaskar stated, it undeniably places the Indian cricket team at a disadvantage. As some analysts agree, it also seems to represent a conflict of interest for foreign coaches who use their knowledge in this manner. If you’re keen to combine your love for cricket with some thrilling gaming, check out the Fairplay app.
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