Former Indian batter Hemang Badani wants the team’s coaches to provide aid to struggling Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the ongoing Test series against Australia. Badani noted that both Kohli and Rohit are big players and often the think tank doesn’t give them many inputs as far as their technical game is concerned, thinking they don’t need much help as they have all the experience under their belt.
However, Badani wants head coach Gautam Gambhir and assistant coaches Ryan ten Doeschate and Abhishek Nayar to have a strong discussion with the veteran duo.
Rohit and Kohli scored 91 and 93 runs respectively in the three Test matches against New Zealand. Subsequently, Kohli scored an unbeaten 100 in the second innings at Perth against Australia but he returned with scores of 7 and 11 in the second pink-ball Test at Adelaide.
Rohit Sharma, who was making a comeback after missing the opening Test due to personal reasons, registered scores of 3 and 6 in the second Test.
“Sometimes what happens is, at the highest level – I’ll take names, a Rohit Sharma or a Virat Kohli – sometimes as a coach you think ‘Oh he’s Virat Kohli, he’s Rohit Sharma, they know what to do’ and you’ll let it be. Are you going to let it be or as the coaching staff or the batting coach are you going to go and tell them ‘Sir, you’ve played cricket for many years. But there is a slight problem (with your game). What solution can we bring for this problem? Do you have that solution or what are you thinking? Or do you want me to help you?” Hemang Badani said on Star Sports Tamil.
The former left-handed batter added that tough conversations should happen between the coaches and players.
“Are you going to have those tough conversations or not? Sometimes you think they are Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, they know what to do, let them be. But if you ask me, no matter who the player is, if you are thinking about the team, go speak to them. It’s not wrong. After that whether they (the players) take it or not is their point of view. But as a coach you definitely have to go speak to them,” Badani added
India will want Kohli and Rohit to be at their best in the rest of the series against Australia. The third Test match between India and Australia will be played at the Gabba, Brisbane from December 14.
