BENGALURU: The image of a smiling Ajay Jadeja was hard to miss after Afghanistan's win over Pakistan at Chennai. Jadeja was brought on board as a mentor ahead of the World Cup and his presence is bearing fruit.
"It's good because he has a lot of experience of playing international cricket," skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi had said ahead of the India game in New Delhi. "He has experience of Indian conditions. As a mentor, he has come in to give us talks about mental strength and how to deal with pressure and against these opposition. So it's working well so far."
Jadeja's presence, inadvertently, also shone a light on the continued absence of Indian coaches at the men's quadrennial event. There have only been three Indian chief coaches (Sandeep Patil; Kenya, Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid; India) who have managed teams at the event since the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. Conventional wisdom says that Indians are good thinkers of the game. Ergo, they should be at the front of the queue for coaching jobs.
The reality, though, is very different. Here are a few numbers that drive this point home. Since that quadrennial event in 2003, there have been 14 Australian coaches including Greg Chappell with India in 2007. For England, this number stands at nine, including Duncan Fletcher with India in 2015. For both South Africa and West Indies, it's seven each.
Why is this the case? Monty Desai, the current head coach of the Nepal men's team, got intimate with the subject. "I can certainly posit a theory, but nobody can say with certainty why that might be," he told this daily from Nepal. "Like with any niche position of responsibility, there are multiple factors that play into the hiring decisions. One factor that stands out in my mind is that representation matters.
As the Indian diaspora grows around the world, we are starting to see many more Desis in high-ranking positions, be it large corporations, international foundations, and even in political positions in countries outside of India. From the highest-ranking members in executive roles who are responsible for making these hiring choices to the outside world's perception of what it means to be Indian, or in this case, an Indian coach on the world stage, the systems all exist with limitations and certain biases. I believe it is partly our responsibility as proud Indians to challenge those perceptions and assert ourselves as talented, professional, noteworthy individuals. But that is only an assertion one can make when he or she is true to their path, faithful to their calling, and largely beyond reproach."
The biases that Desai, who was the batting coach of the Afghanistan side when they qualified for the 2019 World Cup in England, was touched upon by another Indian coach who has gone abroad to coach a men's international side.
"For all of them (other boards), it's like buying a car they don't know much about," the coach said. "There's not much data about how they will do because there is hardly any frame of reference so there may be some skepticism on their part. BCCI may be the richest board and cricket may be the most recognised brand in the sub-continent but not many have gone outside. But it's opening up right now."
The frame of reference is key because apart from the likes of Desai, there are not many at the top end who have managed a side at an elite event. Apart from the likes of Desai, Lalchand Rajput (Zimbabwe and Afghanistan), J Arun Kumar (USA) and Niraj Odedra (Bermuda), there are not many who have embraced the challenge recently. Desai, though, opined that many coaches may opt to stay in the country. "The boards you mention have their limitations and biases," he said.
"We all do. It is also possible that there are talented coaches who choose to stay in India for extremely valid and very personal reasons. Family, culture, lifestyle, and even economic status all come to mind when I consider why a coach might not want to leave. I personally struggle often with the dichotomy of being in this dream job, an opportunity that so few get and honoring what that means while regretting the time and experiences I miss out on with my family. I am blessed to have the support system I have in my family, and my wife in particular."
One reason why the Indian coach, who wants to remain unnamed, went abroad to coach an international side was because of his ambition to be at a World Cup with India. "I had spoken to a few people in India and I realised that I didn't have the international experience to apply for coaching roles with the national side and I was happy to explore, go down that route."
While there are a few like Desai who are happy to do so thanks to a very good support system, multiple coaches mentioned there was no reason to go out because there were a lot of opportunities within India itself. "Lot of opportunities in Indian cricket so there's no reason for coaches to go out," was how Hrishikesh Kanitkar, former Tamil Nadu coach, put it.
Will the coming years change it? Desai summed it up: "I am a firm believer that a talented and determined coach who wishes to get to the World Cup stage has a chance if he (or she) is willing to pave that path."