‘When players aren’t doing well, you must handle them properly’: Madan Lal

Last year India suffered a 0-3 Test series whitewash at home against New Zealand, and Madan Lal, 74, who claimed 144 scalps (71 and 73) across Tests and ODI respectively, called for a better understanding between the head coach and chief selector given they have a tough job on their hands. “It’s a very difficult job. When I was a selector and a coach, I always believed, always analysed if I’ve done a good job or not. Sometimes they [certain decisions] backfire, sometimes they don’t. Nobody [players] is going to be happy every time because only 15 players can be selected, but as a coach, you have to manage your players. You have to handle them properly when they’re not doing well. The coach’s job is also to guide the selectors and they should be guiding him too,” added Madan Lal.

Meanwhile, former India batter Aakash Chopra, 48, who represented the country in 10 Tests, scoring 437 runs, expressed his disappointment over Indian batters struggling on turning pitches at home: “It’s sad, but it’s not new. If you see our performance in the last five years, we’re not great players of spin on turning tracks. It’s not a good story, but the problem is that most of the cricket across the globe is played on pitches that don’t encourage you to practice the skills that are required to thrive in such conditions.”