31 Jul, 2007

The Indian team has negated the need for a coach.

After a beating at the Lord''s, Team India has come back like the phoenix to win the second Test at Trent Bridge.

It was heartening to see India in complete control of the match from day one. Rahul Dravid called the coin correctly and his decision to put England in to bat was spot on.

The bowlers, who had come under the scanner, pitched it in the right areas and tormented the hosts. Zaheer played the role of a mentor to the younger bowlers to perfection and Sreesanth''s and RP Singh''s aggression reminded one of a certain Allan Donald and Glenn McGrath.

The two though would have to go a long way to measure up to the two greats, but agression is a good start.

The batsmen then delivered like a dream. No big hundreds and at least one poor umpiring decision and yet the score was just 17 shy of a huge 500 runs. The openers even put on a 100-plus partnership.

Do we still need a coach? Surely not.

The channels of communication between the seniors and the juniors in the team seem to be free flowing like never before. Is there any coach who would be able to impart to the juniors what a Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid can impart?

Each of them through different phases of Indian cricket in the last 15 years have sometimes together and sometimes single-handedly led the team to glorious moments.

What was also heartening to see in the absence of a coach was the seamless integration of India''s trinity. Ganguly, even with a back injury, was more than willing to bend his back for his captain.

The camaraderie is back, the team spirit is back, winning is back. And all this without a coach.