Cricket News: India should follow England's coaching lead

It seems like a radical idea, one that hasn’t ever happened in Indian cricket because traditionality is the name of the game for the people that run the sport. 

Yet there is a compelling case to be made for it, and it does seem likely that at least one part of that wish is coming true – Hardik Pandya is set to become India’s white-ball captain soon. 

Media reports say that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have offered the white-ball captaincy to Pandya, who has supposedly asked for some time to respond. 

If it is true – and until there is an official word of the same, it’s best to take everything with a grain of salt – it will show even more confidence in Pandya. 

This is because the initial plan was to make Pandya the captain in T20Is, while Rohit Sharma remains in charge in the Test and ODI formats. 

But the fact that the team are contemplating a change in not one but both formats of white ball cricket is welcome. Yet that should not be the only starting point. 

There needs to be a concerted effort to have a different coach in charge for T20Is and ODIs, too, a person who can take tough calls and shape a new team in their vision. 

England are a dominant cricket side but reached an all-time low in 2015 when they were knocked out of the ICC World Cup in the group stages. 

Rather than leading to something worse, this nadir prompted the board to introspect and bring a new style of play into their white ball cricket. 

It wasn’t an easy process – it took a few years to bake into the team’s muscle memory, and England knew they also ran the risk of losing a few games in this process. 

But it is no coincidence that having become a side that is top of the pack in white ball cricket, they have moved towards a split coaching model, 

This is because the demands of Test and white ball cricket can and will be very different, and it is impossible to expect one player to have knowledge and know-how of all three formats. 

This is why England have Matthew Mott as the white ball coach, with Brendon McCullum taking care of the Test team. And it is an approach that is seemingly working well for them. 

India seem to have taken a leaf out of their book regarding having different captains for both the white and red ball formats. 

But for this approach to be successful, they will need to embrace modern ways and adopt a philosophy which has never been adopted beforehand.