Team India Not Happy With Foreign Coaches' Involvement In IPL 2019 Ahead Of World Cup

Team India is reportedly unhappy with the involvement of some foreign coaches in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. The head coaches of all the eight teams this season are not Indians. While Stephen Fleming is with Chennai Super Kings, Ricky Ponting, Paddy Upton, Jacques Kallis, Mahela Jayawardene, Gary Kirsten, Mike Hesson and Tom Moody are the coaches of Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively. Along with the eight coaches, the assistant coaches of most of the teams are also from outside India.

Team India, however, does not have problem with all the overseas coaches but only with those who will join other national teams after the IPL. Ponting will be Australia’s assistant coach in the forthcoming ICC World Cup. Cricket South Africa’s Chennai-based analyst Prasanna Agoram, who is presently working with Kings XI Punjab, will be with the Proteas as the showpiece event. There are also chances of other overseas coaches involved in the IPL revealing some secret about the Indian players to their respective teams.

“Imagine the extent to which they understand Dhawan the cricket. What clicks for him… what doesn’t… It’s clearly unhealthy. Rishabh, Prithvi, Shreyas – see the amount of analysis they’re being able to gather,” Times of India quoted a source close to Team India.

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Prasanna, on the other hand, is working closely with India’s World Cup-bound stars  KL Rahul and Mohammed Shami.

“The amount of work Prasanna has put in with the South African national team is tremendous. We got to know about it first hand when we visited South Africa last year. Now, this guy gets to spend two months right here in the Indian domestic circuit just weeks before he’ll accompany South Africa to the World Cup. This just doesn’t sound correct,” said some members of the Indian cricket team.

“We don’t think it’s fine for Australia’s national assistant coach (Ponting) to be spending time with the Indian team opener just weeks ahead of a World Cup campaign, or even otherwise with a franchise that includes four India Test cricketers. Of course, the IPL’s a free market but some lines have to be drawn,” the report added.

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Team India members are also unhappy with the the conflict of interest policy only affecting the Indian coaches. Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar were served notices by BCCI ombudsman in relation to conflict of interest. And some junior cricketers have expressed astonishment how Ponting is free to opt for any role he wants despite being associated with the Australian national team.

“That’s definitely not a conflict, right? Conflict is when Rahul Dravid associates himself with a franchise while working with the junior Indian national team. That’s how weird Indian cricket administration and its policies have become,” two junior India players who have played under the guidance of Rahul Dravid said.

Well, any change this is unlikely to happen as the ongoing tournament is in its final stages now. But if the BCCI seriously considers this policy, then one see changes in the very next season.