In an interesting development, former Australia batsman Michael Hussey has divulged in his latest book that he was approached for coaching the Indian team. ESPNCricinfo reported the 40-year old stating that VVS Laxman had enquired if he was interested in coaching the ‘Men in Blue’.
The stylish Hyderabadi, also Sunrisers’ mentor had asked Hussey who was representing Chennai Super Kings during the 2015 edition of IPL. However, he had turned down the offer citing family reasons and inexperience in coaching big teams.
When Duncan Fletcher’s tenure as Head Coach ended after the 2015 ICC World Cup, BCCI had formed a 3-member panel comprising of retired legends such as Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and Laxman in scouting for his successor.
Nicknamed Mr. Cricket, Hussey was adept at handling different situations during his playing days. He also revealed that Sri Lankan great Mahela Jayawardene had requested him to consider the role as Assistant Coach for the Lankans with a view of taking over as the Head Coach, a few months down the lane.
In his third book ‘Winning Edge’, Hussey wrote, “The former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene rang me a while ago to ask if I would be interested in being an assistant coach of Sri Lanka with a view to taking over as head coach a few months further down the track.”
He added, “A week later the ex-India batsman VVS Laxman asked me if I would be interested in coaching India. My initial answer to both of them was no because at the time I did not want to be on the road ten months a year; I wanted to be at home with my family and make up for some lost time from the previous few years. But, probably more relative to them, I said to each that I did not think I was ready to become the head coach of an international cricket team.”
Coaching is not just about coaching players: Hussey
The seasoned cricketer was also uncomfortable in beginning his coaching career as the Head Coach of any team. He mentioned, “VVS accepted that I was not interested because of family reasons. But, he would not accept my feeling that I was not up to standard for a job like that. 'You have played the game very well for a long time, you know what needs to be done, you shouldn't doubt yourself', he said.”
Hussey noted, “I replied that coaching individuals within a team is one thing and perhaps I could do that right now. But, I said, these days coaching is not just about coaching players. It's about dealing with boards, sponsors, business owners, investors, officials, all sorts of people outside the team environment.”
But, Laxman was stoic in his stance. “He said that guys with our level of experience had more understanding of the ins and outs of the game than just about anyone. It got me thinking that maybe you do not need to go off and do all sorts of courses and tick all the official boxes,” Michael affirmed.
Currently, the Indian team management includes Ravi Shastri as Director, Sanjay Bangar as Batting Coach, Bharat Arun as Bowling Coach and R Sridhar as Fielding Coach. Their contracts are set to expire at the end of the 2016 ICC World T20.
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