Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has strongly backed Laxman Sivaramakrishnan’s recent public bid to secure a spin-bowling coaching role in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In his recent column for Sportstar, Gavaskar described the former India leg-spinner as a "terrific bowler" who possesses a deep, nuanced understanding of the craft.
The endorsement follows Sivaramakrishnan’s viral post on X (formerly Twitter) where he directly tagged Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka, stating: "If you are looking for a spin bowling coach, please let me know. I have confidence that I can deliver the results."
“It was interesting to read about the application Laxman Sivaramakrishnan made for an opportunity to work as a bowling coach,” Gavaskar wrote.
“During his time, he was a terrific bowler who thought deeply about the game. Confidence was not always his strongest suit and, as every leg-spinner will tell you, he needed a captain who understood that a leggie can be expensive at times but is a match-winner, too,” he added.
Gavaskar used the opportunity to address a larger trend in the IPL, arguing that franchises heavily suffer from a "foreign-coach complex". He noted that many young domestic players coming from regional backgrounds face language barriers with overseas staff and employing experienced Indian minds like Sivaramakrishnan would bridge this gap.
“There are so many like him who could be a great help to the young Indians in the teams,” he wrote.
Beyond Sivaramakrishnan, Gavaskar highlighted a list of highly capable domestic veterans who could benefit IPL franchises, including Praveen Kumar, Piyush Chawla, and Balwinder Singh Sandhu.
"Names that readily come to mind include Praveen Kumar, a terrific swing bowler who cleverly mixed his deliveries and bowled the occasional bouncer to keep the batter guessing, and Piyush Chawla, another smart bowler who was part of the 2011 World Cup-winning team. If age is not a factor, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, too, has a deep knowledge not just of swing bowling but of the game itself," he remarked.
Gavaskar also mentioned former left-arm pacer RP Singh and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha as ideal coaching candidates. However, both of them are currently serving as national selectors.
The 77-year-old further pointed out that many other sharp cricketing minds stay behind the microphone in commentary or television analysis, suggesting they could easily transition into coaching if they chose to do so.
“I have not named many others because they are pursuing careers as television analysts, but if they wish to, they, too, could be terrific coaches,” he wrote.
