The Indian cricket team needs a mental conditioning coach was the statement made by former cricketer Yuvraj Singh. He mentioned that having such support will ensure that Indian players will perform much better.

Now former India all-rounder and batting coach Sanjay Bangar says that the skill coaches often double up as mental conditioning coaches as they spend so much time with the boys.

"Basically, the coaches tend to double up as mental conditioning coaches primarily for the reason that they spend a lot of time with the players and number two is the trust that a player enjoys with a particular coach,” he said.

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"So, it's very important for a coach and player to form that sort of a relationship wherein the player can confide his insecurities with the coach and be rest assured that whatever has been conveyed to the coach or the innermost feelings of a player does not really go outside the two of them," he explained,” he further added.

Bangar called it a trust factor when it comes to the relationship between a player and a coach. "I think trust is a major factor, it could be a mental conditioning coach, or it could be a skill coach, in today's time the skill coaches tend to double up as the mental conditioning coaches," he said.

Even former captain MS Dhoni highlighted that players in the country tend to not accept that they have weaknesses when it comes to the mental side of their game.

"In India, I feel there is still a big issue of accepting that there is some weakness when it comes to the mental aspects, but we generally term it as mental illness. Nobody really says that, when I go to bat, the first 5 to 10 deliveries my heart rate is elevated, I feel the pressure, I feel a bit scared because that's how everybody feels -- how to cope with that?,” Dhoni said.

"This is a small problem but a lot of times we hesitate to say it to a coach and that's why the relationship between a player and coach is very important be it any sport," the former captain signed off.

(IANS inputs)