Dean Jones keen to coach India
May 02, 2005 21:14 IST
India captain Sourav Ganguly may be going through the worst phase of his cricketing career, but Dean Jones feels the left-handed batsman must follow some simple rules to tide over the crisis.
Jones, who is in Abu Dhabi in connection with the tsunami relief cricket tournament, advised Ganguly to re-analyse his goals to come out of the testing time he is facing.
"I think probably he is a bit tired. It's high time that he must re-analyse his dreams and goals," Jones said.
The Australian, however, refused to be drawn into the debate whether Ganguly should be allowed to captain India in view of his poor run with the bat.
"I can't speak on captaincy. That's for the selectors to think about," he said.
Jones, a former Australian middle-order batsman, also said he is keen to coach the Indian team and exuded confidence that he can help the Indians scale new heights.
He appreciated the work of John Wright, whose stint came to an end after the series against Pakistan, but said much needs to be done with the Indian team to improve its performance.
"I will make attempts to bring the best out of them. Wright has definitely taken the players to a new level. He had that passion in him. But still improvement has to be made.
"Before every match you must do several things, which is not happening. We have to change that. It's about thinking about the game," Jones said.
If given a chance, he said he would work on several areas with special emphasis on preparing the team.
"What I can bring in is preparation. Preparing well before each and every assignment is necessary to do well. It would be my duty to ensure that they understand their role," he said.
"They must know about their opponents, know well about the weaknesses and strength. I have to get everything work together."
Jones said fitness is also of paramount importance for any team to be successful at the highest level.
"They will be fit. So fit, you won't believe it."
With India's performance dipping in one-dayers, Jones said the team must rotate its batting order and can even ask players like Yuvraj Singh or Mohammed Kaif to open the innings occasionally.
"Sachin Tendulkar should not open all the while. You have to rotate (your batting order) when you get to a low."
The Australian also asked to keep up the spirit of 'Team India' but added the players must hold themselves accountable for their performance.
"It's not that my team, but our team. It has to be Team India. It's quite natural when some make runs and others don't. At the same time all the team has to be accountable
Rediff.com
Doesnt this guy sound very interesting? What he says is true. Preparation is important before each game. I would consider this guy in my list of coaches India should grab!
