Go figure it out yourself

Incoherent ramblings from Harsha....much like his commentary these days he comes up with irrelevant theories and feels the need to share them with the rest of the world.

Ordinary stuff, Harsha. Thankfully, you have completely bid adieu to IPL in this piece. Sachin Tendulkar goes ga-ga over his formative years' coach even today. How many of his concerns did Sachin thrash out and how many were ironed out by his coach? How do you know that players you mentioned are performing as suggestetd by the coach or have chosen to not ask and just do what they believe is right? Often, the sparkle off the cricket field is too overwhelming for a person with limited exposure, and it may not be a cricketing issue at all. BTW, neither is Ishant Sharma history nor is RP Singh passe. Whilst I don't much comprehend generalisations on subjective matters, i do agree that all of us have to find a way out of our problems. However, adv sought from an expert or teacher or coach or an elder isnt the reason for continued failure or miseries. Sometimes there is just no will to push for success despite seeing the sun set out again on the eastern horizon.

There are two things to a game - one is the mechanics of skill and execution which can be learnt from any coach or academy. The other is the individual's approach towards the dynamics of the game. The second cannot be taught. It has to be figured out by the player himself. When a player goes to a coach seeking solution to the second part it is eventually equivalent to the coach playing in the game through that player as a proxy. This is when it gets more problematic and sometimes even counter-productive. I think this is what Harsha is trying to emphasize, even though given Harsha's prowess, he is known to do a much better job at it.

Harsha,You cannot blame it on Coaches.It is common in life that you seek advice when you meet a mental block or hurdle.Advice by themselves are not solution.It has to be processed by the receiver .He only knows the situation and he only can correct.The main reason is attitude.Accept it we are lazy and once we get more than what we deserve we relax and rest on laurels and play blame game. Have you seen the weight of Jewellery these cricketers exhibit while playing.These people depend on luck and law of averages.Our cricketers lack basic discipline.You have Mr.S.M.Gavaskar available 24x7 for you. How he was "tutored and taken to task by those people who mentored him-His Uncle Mr,M.K.antri,Mr Patil, Mr.Paranjape. The Genius was spotted it was encouraged but severe drills were given No sympathy.Don't blame Coaches.They are to do a job. Aquestion you think you would have learnt tour 5 tables without Coaching from teacher and your parents.As some one said,Be responsible is the advise you

Harsha,With your reach, ask Dennis Lillee and Clive Lloyd as to how they got to be dynamos even after their near disabling injuries.Heavy Therapy under supervision,Exercises and the mental make up that they can be fit and excel in what they are best at.Do you find such fire in the belly of these youngsters?you know the answer.

Harsha,You cannot blame it on Coaches.It is common in life that you seek advice when you meet a mental block or hurdle.Advice by themselves are not solution.It has to be processed by the receiver .He only knows the situation and he only can correct.The main reason is attitude.Accept it we are lazy and once we get more than what we deserve we relax and rest on laurels and play blame game. Have you seen the weight of Jewellery these cricketers exhibit while playing.These people depend on luck and law of averages.Our cricketers lack basic discipline.You have Mr.S.M.Gavaskar available 24x7 for you. How he was "tutored and taken to task by those people who mentored him-His Uncle Mr,M.K.antri,Mr Patil, Mr.Paranjape. The Genius was spotted it was encouraged but severe drills were given No sympathy.Don't blame Coaches.They are to do a job. Aquestion you think you would have learnt tour 5 tables without Coaching from teacher and your parents.As some one said,Be responsible is the advise you

I disagree with the author. Every cricketer will only gain the basics of stance, balance, feet movement, etc, by going to academies. Once they learn the basics they learn to express themselves creatively. This is no different than any other sport like Karate where students go through rigid stances and punching and kicking techniques till they reach the black belt stage. Then they learn to improvise and bring their own favorite combinations into play. Take painting for example. All artists must go through a rapid stage of learning by imitating their tutors. Once they reach a level of proficiency they are free to experiment and evolve their own style. Young cricketers are free to listen to their mentors and coaches. But they need not be bound by those guidelines. Go to coaches if you are totally clueless but do try things yourself first. The coaches and academies only complement a player's abilities. They are not a substitute for independent thinking.

Here's a thought - India has the best software programmers in the world, some of the best engineers in the world, and the richest cricket governing body. Why not build a state of the art simulator? The video gaming industry has become incredibly sophisticated these days - I bet some of the most minute details can be simulated. Bounce, line, length aside - field type, temperature, climate, crowd noise, track conditions, sound effects, virtually anything can be simulated, err, well, virtually. If pilots can be effectively trained on a flight simulator, why not cricketers?

Sehwagology has brought up two points; one which I agree with, and the other I disagree. The first was the issue of Indian celebrity culture status and the love of the limited over game. This is so true of Indian cricket culture. The fans, the administrators and the players want success, but they don't know how to handle it. The second point was the success of players like Mitchell Johnson, Dale Steyn, James Anderson developing in heavily coached environments. I actually think that all three of these bowlers are good bowlers when in form but all three of them are terrible bowlers when things don't go their way and the whole coaching thing probably messes around in their heads even more. The most publicised case was that of Johnson, whose alarming drop in form was a key factor to Australia losing the Ashes. There was high hopes for Steyn in the home series against Australia to perform and he too couldn't arrest his form slump and South Africa were walloped in the first 2 tests

@Amit Patel: You are dead wrong mate. Check the facts. Indian teams won both series in West Indies and England in 1971. They are still to repeat two consecutive series win abroad with all the coaches around! Remember Auckland 76 or the 400 plus chase in WI. Solkar is the best close in fielder in history, check the catch per test ratios. Mind you he had no helmet or protective gear, let alone coaches. None of the spin quartet had a personal coach, but they did learn from each other. Yes, some players were out of shape but it was also due to the fact that they played 4 or 5 tests per year and the domestic season lasted 2-3 months! That was it. They had to make a living by other jobs since they were paid around 100 rupees per day of test match cricket. When they won a test against Lawry's aussies in 69 in just 4 days,they only got 400 rs! Coaching is good to the extent it emphasizes the basics. Beyond that, the genius of the individual determines how far he goes on the world stage.