Shane Warne also opened up about his stance regarding coaching at the highest level.
Australian spin legend Shane Warne heaped praise on Rahul Dravid, the current head coach of the Indian cricket team. Warne said that Dravid is a “terrific cricketer and great person” and said he is “fantastic for Indian cricket” as a coach.
The Aussie great, who enjoyed some great on-field battles with Dravid during their playing days, further said that the legendary cricketer will bring in a “lot of steel and toughness” in the current Indian team.
Warne told PTI: “Rahul Dravid will bring in a lot to the table. Terrific cricketer, great person. I think he will bring in a lot of steel, lot of toughness to the group. I think he will bring in a lot of tactical stuff that will be good. Rahul is fantastic for Indian cricket.”
However, Warne doesn’t believe in “terminology” at the international level. He further explained his stance, “The coach, it is the terminology which I don’t like in international cricket. In domestic cricket, the coaches are really important, but in international cricket, he should be called a manager, not a coach.”
He continued, “Getting front-elbow up and coaching them like kids isn’t what is required at international level. You do that for kids at age-group level, first-class level, where you are taught how to play the game and coached to get ready for international cricket.”
Warne believes that the focus should be on the mental and tactical side of the game, but that’s not the job of a conventional coach, it is a ‘Man Manager’ who can do this like Dravid.
He signed off by saying, “It’s about mental side and tactical side and that’s where man management comes in. By the time you go international cricket, you know how to play. Sometimes you just forget how to play and make things too complicated and that’s why you don’t get coached at the international level. You are managed. Does that make sense?”
(With PTI Inputs)