T20 is making coaches struggle, says Sambaran

Taking a closer look at the newest and shortest version of the game in the backdrop of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), Banerjee reckons that cricket coaches from now on will have to look beyond the usual manual in their quest for preparing youngsters for Twenty20 cricket.

Banerjee, who had famously led Bengal to Ranji Trophy victory close to 20 years back, had served as national selector before turning to full-time cricket coaching for his own camp back home in Kolkata.

Says the outspoken selector-turned-coach: “It’s true that times are changing and that one has to adapt to all forms of changes, just like cricket players and cricket fans will have to accept the new form of the game. But purely from a coach’s point of view, it’s going to a real struggle, without exception. For Twenty20, there’s nothing called a manual like we have for the conventional versions of the game. So, cricket coaches from all over the world will just struggle to teach youngsters how to master T20.”

Banerjee isn’t the first cricketing figure though to raise fears over cricket coaching getting dicey with the advent of Twenty20. Several great names that have played the game in the past reckon it’s an alarming prospect to train young players to attune themselves to playing Twenty20 right the start of the fledgling careers.

National selector Banerjee explained that with Twenty20 on their minds, there’s no point for any coach to teach budding batsmen the finer points and certain basics of the game, since it’s all about slam-bang action. “Gone are the days when every coach would go by the manual, every shot that was taught was defined. With Twenty20, a coach becomes helpless. What is he going to teach the young batsmen? To swing the bat wildly at every ball? Coaches will have a tough time from now on in world cricket,” Banerjee said.

The former Ranji Trophy-winning captain, however, clarified that the only way forward for the cricket world is to adapt to changes, even if that means embracing Twenty20 on a regular basis.