Thoughts on Laxman as next coach?

[Gollum]

Since BCCI will go with their <60 years requirement and preference for Indian head coaches, what does this forum think of Laxman? Based on the 3-4 series he has taken charge? 

 

I know he said no to the job offer in 2024, but who knows, he may be open to contributing more in some capacity in the future?

 

I didn't follow the Zim series closely but he seemed to be backing genuine quicks (a frequent criticism was him being a trundler lover). @express bowling @Mosher @cricspirit @singhvivek141 @tapandrun @New guy @Lone Wolf @rollingstoned @vishalvirsingh  @Manucrick @rkt.india @SecondSlip @Sgattick10 @Need4Speed @tweaker etc. are more active in the performance tracker thread for quicks. They can chime in. Encouraging signs?

 

I think he will be a good man-manager, very calm and approachable, chill guy like Dravid. But also someone who can command respect in the dressing room. Players seem to be more relaxed when he is head coach, even in the RSA T20I series 2 years back they were all enjoying the game. Maybe Indian team needs a good man-manager as head coach instead of some tactical guru. He can always have the best data analysts and assistant coaches to help him out. 

 

Personally think he should be made test coach asap if he is willing. GG's reign has been a complete disaster for our test team, with his ego clashes, nonsensical AR obsession and selection, penchant for rank turners at home, uncertainty in the team and batting order which has affected the mindset of mavericks like Jaiswal and Pant. Laxman can really help with our batsmen's mentality, especially in 4th innings and 'back against the wall' situations....he himself was a master at absorbing pressue and clutching it out. 

 

Test cricket hasn't really changed much over the years, fundamentals are the same and you need to do the basics consistently and persistently, be patient, (bowlers) hit the same areas whole day, hold on to catches, no silly run-outs etc. Need more tactical minds in white ball setups, with the fast evolving and dynamic nature of those formats. Maybe let GG continue for a while there, and if he continues his nonsense, go with a coach who is up to date with the rigors of modern white ball. I would love for someone like Andy Flower to take up the job, BCCI can make him an offer he can't refuse, and since only 2 formats, he will get more vacation time which goras demand when it comes to taking up assignments in SC @Nikhil_cric @vvvslaxman @Vickydev @putrevus @maniac @Laaloo @Trichromatic @zen @Lord @Adamant @nevada @govinda @BacktoCricaddict @AKane @Frustrated @Tillu @Norman @nitinbwj @Stan AF @Chaos @Nikola @coffee_rules @rageaddict @Vk1 @wanted_desi @Bigg Brother @JaFanatic @LordPrabhzy @Austin 3:!6

 

Also test team takes time to build. Need stability there, lots of patience with the players, give them designated roles and back them. Not BS like Sundar batting at #3 in one test, #9 in the next one, 40 overs here, then no bowling for next 2 innings. Roles have to be clear. RSA has done precisely that under Shukri/Bavuma and gone from irrelevance to world's best team. 

 

PS: Eager to hear the views of most active ICFers whose cricket related posts I follow here, hence tagged many (missed out a few I'm sure). I don't know about you guys but GG is making me lose interest in Indian cricket. Taking me back to the 2011-14 days. In fact even worse because at least in 2011-14 a young core was being developed by Dhoni/Fletcher (players like Kohli, Ashwin, Pujara, Rahane used to hold Fletcher in high regard much after his exit). Here all I see is youngsters being made to feel more insecure, GG's strong dislikes and prejudice against some of our players, negativity and ego tussles. Don't think players are in a relaxed space (SKY was the buffer at least in T20Is until now), and so much insecurity regarding their selection/future, koi bhi kisi bhi waqt baahar ho jaata hai, loses captaincy or VC, shunned or scolded (like Pant), every series there is a new scapegoat. 

Edited July 27 by Gollum

[tapandrun]

Vvs is a visionless leader , he has not been able to deliver when ever he had that role. 

 

Do not think he has good understanding on high potential players and what is needed to win games.

 

Think he went to Sl when Ind was preparing for tests and Ind lost to SL team which was rebuilding, then he went to Zim and pushed down Abhishek from opening slot after getting a 40-ball ton for Gill and rutu.

 

This series vs zim he rested Ashok for Yash who is no special bowler, Ashok is high pace bowler with more skill than any new Ind pacer right now.

 

And then you can look at his leadership in IPL for kochi team which was poor and his leadership with srh was no that good too.

 

Going by all his records he will fill-up the team with low potential/ run-of-the mill kind of players.

 

Even with NCA he said he is looking into mayank case personally and when mayank returned to cricket he still was unfit and had to leave out the season

 

GG and rohit and kolhi looks like are not gelling-up , but to compare him with dravid is nt a good idea, dravid thought his only job was to keep peace with kolhi and rohit.

 

if talking about fallout with player dracid was not good with Iyer and Kishan , as they are not as huge as kolhi and rohit , so dravid looks like he was good with players

 

GG wants Kolhi and Rohit to be accountable and they do nt want to be , he wants to know if they are serious playing for Ind, he is asking them to play domestic is this wrong in way or form ??? 

 

Issue with gg in test is he lost 4-5 test players all at once and Dravid didnt create any bench strength. Ind did not create single bowler under dravid , GG has intoriduced -- Mayank, Gurnoor, Ashok, Suthar etc... what did dravid do he kept playing low potential bowlers like avesh mukesh he had no plan to develop any 1.

 

 

The issue with GG is team selection and specifically selection of player like Sundar who are no good playing all 3 formats. GG needs to pick poper test players in test cricket.

 

He is doing ok with T20i side , odi side is already locked he can not do much about it 

 

Ashok and Mayank are high potential bowler , good signs there. both bowled 145+ kmph. Mayank is still not there in 150+ kmph range but give him some game time see if his speeds comes back, but even this series when ever he went 145+ kmph he was unplayable. Tried finding out who bowled fastest ball in Zim ever was unable to find all the records but 149 kmph from Mayank was listed as fastest , though Lee , Shoiab have played in zim too , the issue is lack of record keeping and sometimes lack of speedometers.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 27 by tapandrun

[vvvslaxman]

12 minutes ago, tapandrun said:

Vvs is a visionless leader , he has not been able to deliver when ever he had that role. 

 

Do not think he has good understanding on high potential players and what is needed to win games.

 

Think he went to Sl when Ind was preparing for tests and Ind lost to SL team which was rebuilding, then he went to Zim and pushed down Abhishek from opening slot after getting a 40-ball ton for Gill and rutu.

 

This series vs zim he rested Ashok for Yash who is no special bowler, Ashok is high pace bowler with more skill than any new Ind pacer right now.

 

And then you can look at his leadership in IPL for kochi team which was poor and his leadership with srh was no that good too.

 

Going by all his records he will fill-up the team with low potential/ run-of-the mill kind of players.

 

Even with NCA he said he is looking into mayank case personally and when mayank returned to cricket he still was unfit and had to leave out the season

Abhishek pushing down was due to Gill. Gill was the captain. Gambhir is way too chaotic. Who would play reddy at 6 in tests. Sundar in LOIs. Gambhirs over obsession with bits and pieces players is a disaster across the formats.  Just that SKY had this lucky charm and street smartness to go with. Longer the format more Gambhir will struggle.

[Lone Wolf]

Not a fan of VVS he is fine as an interim capacity but that's about it.

 

India needs a coach which has vision and experience at International level..  not desi jugaad coaches.  For so long we have been hiring noobs probably only shameless cricket Country doing it for years.  No wonder we punch below our weight 

 

Shastri GG never had any experience at coaching level to begin with.  GG was a mere mentor at KKR.  Shastri was man Manager at best... Even when you listen to him he has no tactical knowledge or any idea of domestic cricket.  Pure vibes kinda guy 

 

 

I'd love someone like Johnathan Trott as our test coach and stick with GG for time being in LOIs.

Edited July 27 by Lone Wolf

[tapandrun]

7 minutes ago, vvvslaxman said:

Abhishek pushing down was due to Gill. Gill was the captain. Gambhir is way too chaotic. Who would play reddy at 6 in tests. Sundar in LOIs. Gambhirs over obsession with bits and pieces players is a disaster across the formats.  Just that SKY had this lucky charm and street smartness to go with. Longer the format more Gambhir will struggle.

yes test side can not be created with bits and pieces players.

 

issue is Ind didnt develop any test player there were no back-ups , now they are trying to find a short-cut which will not work.

larger issue is test selection based on ipl performances ....

[singhvivek141]

GG and laxman can't be compared.

Laxman is there for a short tenure, he doesn't have to put an effort or a vision to create his own team, he got the team given by selectors and he had to play within that. So no extra pressure, talks or complex strategy, easy to say "just go and enjoy". Laxman also is a text book line and length fan, but here selectors didnt leave him with much choice as the pacers were Mayank, Ashok, Yash (2 fast/express and one fast medium). 

GG is a serious guy. He might not be a big visionary, but he has his own strategies and sticks to them strictly because he believes in them. He loves filling the team with all-rounders so the team bats deep. That strategy works great in T20s. Ignore the sloppy fielding or bad results in places like Ireland, England, or Zimbabwe—that was just a lack of focus. We will easily bounce back strong in T20s.
 

My main worry with GG is how he is handling the Test team transition.

Rohit and Kohli had it easier because they had prime Ashwin-Jadeja and Bumrah-Shami. That core is now broken. Siraj isn't Shami, Washington isn't Ashwin, and we soon need to find a replacement for Jadeja too. Rebuilding a Test team takes time, and losing top players is always hard.

But GG's big mistake is trying his T20 "batting depth" idea in Test matches. Tests don't need bits-and-pieces players who can do a little bit of everything. Tests need pure specialists who are top-class at their primary job.

Edited July 27 by singhvivek141

[Gollum]

SL series in 2 week's time. Do we have any idea what the XI will look like? Sai as #3? Will Jurel find a place? Pant at #5 or #6? What will be Sundar's role? Kuldeep will play? Reddy ko lekar kya plan hai?

 

So many doubts, can't go on like this. Sufficient time has passed since the retirement of Ashwin, Rohit, Kohli, Shami (officially announce nahi hua, woh alag baat hai). Why is our side not settled? When we were rebuiding our side post 2012, at least we went with a settled team, lost a lot but sabko apna role pata tha, and we benefited in coming years. 

 

Idhar sab bhagwan bharose chal raha hai. No Sarfaraz because GG has beef with him, instead we select a sub-40 FC average product like Sai at crucial #3 spot. No planning here also, he was forced to play Suthar in Mullanpur because Jaddu was out injured. Itna hi bada visionary tha toh why didn't Gurnoor play there, instead went with PK. 

[zen]

I don't have much hope in Laxman, esp. having listened to his commentary. And he would likely be more interested in SRH. Let him be with that IPL team. 

[BacktoCricaddict]

From a man-management standpoint - you are correct, he seems like a kind, amiable guy who will look out for his players, support them and stand by them.

 

From a reputation standpoint - 100% agree, but does that really matter in terms of coaching chops?

 

From a tactical and strategic standpoint - I have zero idea about his analytical mind. He may be a great motivator, but I am not sure about his planning and execution. But then again, can this be delegated?

 

Bottom line: For red ball, he is an upgrade over GG. Maybe give him a contract for current WTC cycle and then re-evaluate. 

 

Added in edit: The bigger issue for me is the lack of a process for hiring. Do they actually interview multiple applicants and evaluate them meticulously? Somehow I doubt it.  

Edited July 27 by BacktoCricaddict

[putrevus]

India has won overcoming idiotic Gambhir even in t20s.Gambhir is complete useless fellow who has made everyone in the dressing room insecure.

 

So any decent human being will be a upgrade over this useless bozo. Gambhir opposing so called superstar culture has made himself into centre of attraction along with another idiot Agarkar.Coach and selector have become more important than captain and players.

 

These two idiots have destroyed players careers Sarfraz and  Shami .While giving undeserving chances to useless fellow like Sundar in all formats.

 

As Ashwin also suggested, Test and odis need specialists. India has lost one match in two different ICC tournaments . While winning most matches by any team since 2015 in ICC tournaments.They were more unlucky than being bad.Once they broke thru in 2024 they have won everything.

 

 

Laxman might be or might not be great coach but he will give players confidence and will not play politics. That itself is an upgrade.

 

Edited July 27 by putrevus

[Lord]

Aunty national thread

 

All the wins are due to GG

 

All the losses are due to bad team or focus etc 

 

GG best coach eva

[DeepSpace]

Hamko gora mangta!

[Chaos]

Vvs looks way better than gg.

[putrevus]

3 hours ago, tapandrun said:

Vvs is a visionless leader , he has not been able to deliver when ever he had that role. 

 

Do not think he has good understanding on high potential players and what is needed to win games.

 

Think he went to Sl when Ind was preparing for tests and Ind lost to SL team which was rebuilding, then he went to Zim and pushed down Abhishek from opening slot after getting a 40-ball ton for Gill and rutu.

 

This series vs zim he rested Ashok for Yash who is no special bowler, Ashok is high pace bowler with more skill than any new Ind pacer right now.

 

And then you can look at his leadership in IPL for kochi team which was poor and his leadership with srh was no that good too.

 

Going by all his records he will fill-up the team with low potential/ run-of-the mill kind of players.

 

Even with NCA he said he is looking into mayank case personally and when mayank returned to cricket he still was unfit and had to leave out the season

 

GG and rohit and kolhi looks like are not gelling-up , but to compare him with dravid is nt a good idea, dravid thought his only job was to keep peace with kolhi and rohit.

 

if talking about fallout with player dracid was not good with Iyer and Kishan , as they are not as huge as kolhi and rohit , so dravid looks like he was good with players

 

GG wants Kolhi and Rohit to be accountable and they do nt want to be , he wants to know if they are serious playing for Ind, he is asking them to play domestic is this wrong in way or form ??? 

 

Issue with gg in test is he lost 4-5 test players all at once and Dravid didnt create any bench strength. Ind did not create single bowler under dravid , GG has intoriduced -- Mayank, Gurnoor, Ashok, Suthar etc... what did dravid do he kept playing low potential bowlers like avesh mukesh he had no plan to develop any 1.

 

 

The issue with GG is team selection and specifically selection of player like Sundar who are no good playing all 3 formats. GG needs to pick poper test players in test cricket.

 

He is doing ok with T20i side , odi side is already locked he can not do much about it 

 

Ashok and Mayank are high potential bowler , good signs there. both bowled 145+ kmph. Mayank is still not there in 150+ kmph range but give him some game time see if his speeds comes back, but even this series when ever he went 145+ kmph he was unplayable. Tried finding out who bowled fastest ball in Zim ever was unable to find all the records but 149 kmph from Mayank was listed as fastest , though Lee , Shoiab have played in zim too , the issue is lack of record keeping and sometimes lack of speedometers.

 

 

 

 

 

So only players are held responsible, coach and selectors can do anything and they are not held accountable. How many more losses does one need to get Gambhir and Agarkar sacked from tests.

 

Or I am same coach who  won CT is enough.

[tapandrun]

11 minutes ago, putrevus said:

So only players are held responsible, coach and selectors can do anything and they are not held accountable. How many more losses does one need to get Gambhir and Agarkar sacked from tests.

 

Or I am same coach who  won CT is enough.

 

Yes , look out for other coaches but vvs is not the solution.

 

And fix the selection process, stop selecting test batters based on IPL

 

Edited July 27 by tapandrun

[Vk1]

people who are siding with vvs are purely due to TINA factor compared to GG

Edited July 28 by Vk1

[Lord]

29 minutes ago, Vk1 said:

people who are siding with vvs are purely due to TINA factor compared to GG

 

Yes he is not some magical coach. However they won't hire a foreigner as head coach and Indian options under 60 are quite limited.

 

 

[vvvslaxman]

7 hours ago, tapandrun said:

yes test side can not be created with bits and pieces players.

 

issue is Ind didnt develop any test player there were no back-ups , now they are trying to find a short-cut which will not work.

larger issue is test selection based on ipl performances ....

At this point we need someone who doesn't do too many experiments just for the sack of it. Not necessarily Laxman. 

[tapandrun]

41 minutes ago, vvvslaxman said:

At this point we need someone who doesn't do too many experiments just for the sack of it. Not necessarily Laxman. 

Nothing will change unless they stop picking batters for test from IPl.  

[vvvslaxman]

4 minutes ago, tapandrun said:

Nothing will change unless they stop picking batters for test from IPl.  

Playing XI will.be a lot more conservative which is what needed in Tests.