Ask any cricketer or coach and they will tell you that there is perhaps nothing that gives them more satisfaction than doing well at an ICC event. Yes, there are certain bilateral fixtures – like the Ashes or India vs Australia or India vs Pakistan of the past which are always mighty satisfying to clinch. But, dominating a multi-team event that has the best in the world competing is a different feeling altogether.
Team India are experiencing a small dose of that at the ongoing
ICC Champions Trophy currently. Away from the cacophony of the tournament in Pakistan, Rohit Sharma and co. are quietly racking-up wins as they inch towards an almost guaranteed semi-final spot.
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Though India went into this tournament with commanding and comprehensive wins against England in T20Is and ODIs, each and every member of the team – player and coach – will know just how critical it is for them to shine on the mini-World Cup stage. A win here will well and truly silence the critics who found new vigour after the well under-par performances in ODIs in Sri Lanka last year followed by the debacle in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
To confirm that and other theories we spoke to former India cricketer and coach extraordinaire, Lalchand Rajput.
Mr Rajput, who played 110 First-Class matches, along with 2 Tests and 4 ODIs for the national team was the manager of the Indian cricket team which won the inaugural edition of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007. The 63-year-old from Mumbai has coached national teams like India, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, along with IPL team Mumbai Indians and Canadian T20 team, the Winnipeg Hawks. He is currently the head coach of the UAE national cricket team.
A coach whose name commands a lot of respect, Mr Rajput spoke to us from Dubai about various things, including how important it is for India to win the Champions Trophy this time – a tournament they lost in the final of in the last edition in 2017, transition in Team India, Virat and Rohit’s ODI future, the evolution of Shubman Gill, his own coaching style and more.
This is part one of an exclusive interview with Lalchand Rajput.
With everything that happened in the 2023 ODI WC – India losing in the final. Then last year they lost to Sri Lanka for the first time in 27 years in a bilateral ODI series. With that as the backdrop, how important or critical is it for India to win the ongoing Champions Trophy?
Rajput: I don’t think we should think too much about the past. Yes, we couldn’t win the last (ODI) World Cup, but you have to change with time, to be very honest. The past is gone. We cannot think about the past. We have got to focus on the future and make sure that we are a better team, that we believe in ourselves. Self-belief is very important. If you believe in yourself, you can conquer anything. I think that the players are believing in themselves (at the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy). They will take that positivity and the momentum forward.
Team India has been in transition for a while. The T20 set-up is always a bit fluid, but the team is getting very good, consistent results. In Test cricket, we have seen new faces cement their places over the last few years. What is your take on where the Indian ODI team stands right now? Are we heading for a big transition after the Champions Trophy, you think?
Rajput: 100%. See, every team goes through transition phases. We are currently well-settled in T20I cricket. In Test cricket, we have some new faces coming in, like you said and the same in ODIs also. So, once you have these new faces coming in, you have to give them some time to cement their places. I am sure the England series (where India won both the T20Is and the ODIs) and the Champions Trophy will help in (doing) that. Once we start doing well (consistently) again, we will be one of the leading forces in world cricket in all three formats.
Let’s talk about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. In many ways this Champions Trophy will determine their ODI future – that’s an open secret of sorts. If these two players don’t play series-defining knocks, would it be fair to say, that with the next ODI World Cup being over two years away, it will be the end of the ODI road for them?
Rajput: I don’t think we should be talking too much about their future. This is the tournament (ongoing ICC Champions Trophy) that they will be looking at and if they perform well then you don’t have to think about whether they will play in the future and whether they will be at the (2027 ODI) World Cup or not. I am sure these players (Rohit and Virat) are aware of it because every series is important for them. See, any player who is a world-class player, can’t accept failure. One failure also they don’t accept. I am sure that Virat and Rohit will be focussed on trying to make a mark and tell the world that they are still raring to go, that they have the same hunger. I am sure this Champions Trophy will be a big tournament for all the players.
I spoke to Mr. Milind Rege recently – shortly before his tragic demise. He told me that
Virat needs to play more percentage cricket. That if he realises that he should cut out a few of the shots in his armoury, like say Sachin had done in the latter part of his career, he will start batting better. Your take on that. Should Virat look at moulding his game, along those lines?
Rajput: These things can happen on certain kind of pitches. If you tell me that I am a very good player of the short ball and I get a lot of runs while playing the cut shot then tomorrow, I can’t cut out that shot, because then I won’t be able to score my runs. So, percentage cricket, yes – you should know on which pitch which shot is a good shot and which shot you need to cut down on. That is the key. These players are mentally very, very strong players. Their skill-level is very high. They know on what pitch what shots they should play and which ones they shouldn’t play. It’s the mental aspect that determines how hungry he is to score those runs again.
Your take on what you have seen of Varun Chakaravarthy, in terms of his renaissance as a spinner. He’s worked a lot on his dip and bounce and can often take the pitch out of the equation. He almost forced his way into the Champions Trophy squad, though he is yet to play a game in this edition…
Rajput: Yes, definitely there has been a change in his game. What we saw earlier and what he is bowling now, it’s totally different. He is more consistent and has mastered a few deliveries which can really fox the batters. We always call him a mystery spinner because many foreign players find it difficult to read him. He is still a mystery bowler and batters find it difficult to pick him.
Another player I wanted to talk to you about is Shubman Gill. He was a prodigious junior talent of course, but since making the cut for the senior team, what is your take on how much he has evolved as a batsman?
Rajput: He (Shubman) has improved by leaps and bounds. When I saw him at the u-19 level, he was a totally different player. Now, when you see him playing for the (senior) national team, he has improved series by series. He is a player who the team is looking at as one for the long run, because he can take the team ahead over the next 10 years. It was good to see him get a century in the game vs Bangladesh (in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy). He has tremendous technique, tremendous temperament, he is very good at running between the wickets as well. He is also a brilliant fielder plus he can play any format. Even in the IPL, he has done exceptionally well. Also, in One Day cricket and Test cricket. You have got a player (in Shubman) who you have to protect and make sure that he plays for a long time.
You are currently the head coach of the UAE national team. Under you the team recently won the Gulf T20I Championship, in December last year, beating Kuwait by 2 runs in the final. As someone who has coached teams like India, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, what has the UAE experience overall been like, so far?
Rajput: The UAE experience has been very good. Since there are a lot of expatriates, like Indian and Pakistani players (in the UAE), it’s easier for me because language is not a barrier. I understand their culture, so that helps in making the dressing room atmosphere extremely positive. At this level, you have to have very good man-management skills and that is the USP of my coaching style. Because I can get the best out of the players, whichever team I coach performs better.
As a coach what do you try and focus on the most when you coach teams like say Afghanistan, who were given full ICC membership when you were coach, and the UAE? How do you try and make them stronger teams which can go on to give the bigger teams a run for their money someday, like Afghanistan has been doing for a while?
Rajput: The main thing is to be able to read their mindset. Any player whose mindset is strong can conquer anything. They have the skill-level, but if they are mentally not tough, they cannot do anything. So, I emphasise more on mental toughness and the overall mental side of the game. Plus, skill is always important. Also, make them understand that they should not be happy with small performances. Always aim big. That is the key.
I come from Mumbai and we always try to win the Ranji Trophy and score big, so that mindset is what I try and inculcate in my players. Once that culture sets in, as batters they hate losing their wickets and as bowlers, they want to keep taking wickets. Whether it’s a flat pitch or not a helpful pitch, a fast bowler’s attitude should be that – ‘on any kind of pitch I can get wickets’. That mindset I think is the key to anybody’s success.