India’s first World Cup-winning captain, Kapil Dev, on Thursday stated a modern-day head coach’s function is extra about “managing” gamers than truly teaching them, amid criticism surrounding Gautam Gambhir’s working model.
Following India’s 0-2 Check collection defeat to South Africa, Gambhir has come beneath fireplace as India’s head coach, and his ploy of fixed participant rotation and reliance on part-timers have been slammed.
Kapil stated the time period ‘coach’ is commonly misunderstood in modern cricket.
“At present the phrase ‘coach’ is quite common. Gautam Gambhir can’t be a coach. He generally is a supervisor of the crew,” Kapil stated on the Indian Chamber of Commerce’s centenary session.
“Whenever you say coach, coach is the place I study within the faculty and school (sic). These have been the individuals, my coach there,” he added.
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Kapil stated, “How can Gautam be a coach to a leg-spinner or to the wicketkeeper?” “I believe it’s a must to handle. That’s extra vital. As a supervisor, you give them encouragement to say, ‘You are able to do it,’ as a result of if you grow to be a supervisor, the younger boys look as much as you,” he stated.
“How can my supervisor or captain give me that consolation? That’s what the supervisor’s and captain’s job is—to provide consolation to the crew and all the time say, ‘You are able to do higher.’ That’s the way in which I have a look at it.” Kapil stated his personal philosophy as captain was to again gamers going by a lean section.
“I believe it’s a must to give consolation to the people who find themselves not taking part in properly. If someone made 100 I don’t wish to have a drink and dinner with him,” he stated.
“There are lots of people there… As a captain, I want to have a drink with individuals, or I wish to have dinner with people who find themselves not performing.
“That you must give them the arrogance, and that’s what occurs. So, I believe it’s crucial as a captain, and your function just isn’t solely your efficiency; additionally it is about placing the crew collectively.”
Printed on Dec 18, 2025