Support staff plan, but captains must execute: Dahiya

By Baidurjo Bhose

New Delhi, April 6 (IANS) They have Gary Kirsten as the head coach and Ashish Nehra as the bowling coach. Despite the presence of these stalwarts, Royals Challengers Bangalore have failed to win even one of the five games that they have played in the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League.

Similarly, Delhi Capitals have Ricky Ponting as head coach and Sourav Ganguly as advisor. Despite two of cricket's greatest captains being in the dugout, DC have failed to create much of an impression. In fact, while they failed to read the wicket against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last game at home, Delhi lost seven wickets for eight runs in their game against Kings XI Punjab to lose a game they had in their kitty.

The question is: how important is the role of these stalwarts in the dugout and does their presence actually help the teams in strategising better? After all, each innings also has two time-outs when the members of the coaching staff get to walk in and speak to the players.

Speaking to IANS, former Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Vijay Dahiya said that while it definitely helps to have the guidance of the experienced former cricketers, it is ultimately the role of the captain to guide the team and make calls on the spot.

"It does help to have the stalwarts. It also depends if they are being able to pass the message to the players and if there is that trust factor. If you look at the game (RCB versus KKR), it could have gone anywhere till the last 13 balls. If someone comes up with an extraordinary innings, you can't help.

"I have seen people going in, having a chat. If a bowler is struggling a bit or a batsman is looking a bit nervous, you can sense it. From the outside you can feel that a bowler is breaking down or a batsman is about to play an uncharacteristic shot and that is when you come in. I remember there were so many times we would signal from outside to take the time-out. But unfortunately, when things don't go your way, support staff looks like a big number," he explained.

Asked if the pace of the game sometimes makes it difficult for the captains to execute plans, Dahiya said: "Good captains will always be an over or two ahead of the game. But it is a fast-paced game and you can't plan before the game. Things change in an over. Sometimes you have a bad over, a good catch or a wrong decision, so you have to be on the pedal."

Another franchise support staff said that at the end of the day, the calls have to be made by the players on the field and the coaches can only guide.

"It is easy to say from the outside that what these stalwarts are doing. But then, they can only guide. You as a player have to bowl or bat. They cannot do that for you. Reading a game situation is on a player. Twice in the game they can walk onto the field and explain the scenario. But for the rest of the period, one has to play on his own.

"In such a fast-paced format, you cannot work on what was planned in the team meetings. On the ground decision-making is the key in T20 cricket and that is where the players need to take calls," he told IANS.

(Baidurjo Bhose can be contacted at baidurjo.b@ians.in)