I talk sense so Australians listen to me, says Sridharan Sriram

Pune Australias spin consultant Sridharan Sriram who has been credited for Steeve OKeefes sensational performance in the first Test against India feels its not the name of a coach but his inputs that earn him respect from playersSriram who played 8 ODIs for India during early part of the last decade is considered the guiding force behindleftarm spinner OKeefes matchwinning figures of 12 for 70 in Australias 333run win in the first Test against IndiaI dont think the name really matters does it How does a name matter I mean I come in and if I talk sense they listen to me if I talk bull they dont Its as simple as that Sriram said today when asked if he has faced problems of acceptability considering he is not a big nameI think its taken time They have really been open Thats the best thing about this Australian team They have been open to listening first And then obviously I made sense a little bit and they started listening and they started trying out things in the nets and saw that it worked for them and I think thats how its gone said SriramI have a chat with everyone it is not just the spinners that is the freedom I get from my head coach which is amazing so I can chat to anyone if I feel there is something they should do I go up to them and suggest and itis up to them if they implement it or not some say no some say yes I am willing to try and prolong the conversation Sriram sounded practical in his approachSriram said OKeefes success should be attributed to his preparedness and willingness to experimentAsked what exactly did OKeefe change Sriram said Not necessarily change more I would use the word adapt Because India is such a big country theres no onestop solution If you say this will work it is not going to work So you have just got to adapt on the go You have got to see what works for you on that dayAnd so I think thats where OKeefe really scored because he was wellprepared He was prepared to experimenthe was prepared to sort of try different things in the netsWhich goes back to our time in Chennai in 2015 So I think he knew that he had to come with an open mind for every day of a Test Match What works on day one may not work on day three He knows that I think thats his biggest strength said SriramOKeefe was seen bowling during the second days lunch break with Sriram keeping a close eye on him He didnt have a good first session when KL Rahul had taken him onSo what did he tell OKeefe at the break Sriram said I came down from the viewing area and I knew he OKeefe was a little disturbed He was walking around I didnt know whether to really speak to him or not But the conversation happened and he said I think I need to have a bowl with you in the centreHe told me he was a bit nervous to start off and he was in his comfort zone and trying to bowl as he would do inAustralia But I said Sok OKeefes nickname what do you think you need on this wicket and he said I need to go a little bit rounder and quicker And I just said to him go for it mate because you know what you can do and you know what you need to do Just go for it And I think he adapted beautifullySriram said when he wasnt directly working with OKeefe he was still tracking his Sheffield Shield performances on Cricket Australias websiteI have not been with him right through Ive seen him in patches But the good thing is you can even follow himbowling in the Sheffield Shield game because I can see it on Cricket Australias website I can see what hes doingSo Ive been following him quite a bit in that I have watched even some games live Ive watched the SheffieldShield games So I think he wanted it badly He knew that he was the sort of subcontinent expert that the Australians were looking for and he knew that he had to play over here so I think he sort of stepped up to that beautifullyTalking about the teams preparation in Dubai Sriram said You prepare for the worst Then if you get the bestyou go for it But I think the preparation in Dubai was excellent We prepared different tracks We made a rough We made rank turners We made slow and low pitches So I think it was a great preparation in terms of trying different surfaces and being prepared for whatever you getOn a lighter note he was asked if this was the worst pitch that he has seen the former Tamil Nadu stalwart saidI cant speak about one particular match But Ive seen worse than this I can tell you