Rapport between coach and player is what matters most: P.S. Ramesh

Speaking of coaches, Indian coach Duncan Fletcher has some serious soul searching to do

To play and to coach are two different things. To have done both since a very young age is exceptional and rare to spot; P.S. Ramesh is such a personality. A TNCA player himself since early 1974, he has been in the field of cricket for the past four decades. The expertise, experience and knowledge have come after years of working with an array of distinguished players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, etc. Having assisted the coaches of all the eight countries’ teams in the 1999 World Cup, P.S. Ramesh has seen it all. Excerpts of the interview:

Your journey of playing and coaching through the years

Like every other school boy, I spent every minute of my free time playing cricket, too. I took it up seriously and started playing since when I was 13 years old. I went on to play for Tamil Nadu representing TNCA in 1974. I’ve played on all major grounds across India till I was 52 years and then trained myself at the Pattiala University for coaching to become a qualified coach. I coached TNCA between 1999 and 2000. At present, I’m a full time coach, training schools, colleges and clubs.

You’ve coached kids in the Under-14 category to big stars like Ashwin Ravichandran and Dinest Karthik.

Yes. I would say they were different experiences all together. It was so much easier to train the U-14 kids for Tamil Nadu, as their talents were raw and fresh. With proper training, they can be moulded to perfection. On the other hand, in 1999, when I started working with Ashwin and Dinesh in 2001, the training, the drill, the method of coaching etc., were all different. It had nothing to do with their stardom. They were all down to earth people who were always ready to make corrections when pointed out.

You have been coaching women’s cricket team, as well..

Yes, I’m the coach for a city college’s women’s cricket team. It is very nice to see how the times have changed. The increase in the number of women participation in the sport is tremendous, and I’m happy for that. The best part is there is not just quality, but quantity, as well. They play good cricket and are professional. I’ve mentored Thirush Kamini, Niranjana etc., who play for Team India, and they’ve performed very well in the last world cup setting world records; however, I think parents should be willing to send their daughters for coaching when they are 14-15 years old. That is the ideal age to start for both boys and girls.

About your interactions with foreign players

During the 1999 World Cup, I got a lot of chances to interact and learn from the foreign teams. They all had a camp in Chennai before leaving to Sri Lanka for the matches. That is when I assisted the coach of their teams, and it was very fruitful.

I also had the opportunity to interact with a few Australian players when they were stationed at Chennai during their tour of India last year. They were all so punctual and systematic. They had their own learning and practice mechanism wherein they would put a board up and write down the whole of batting order along with their target and performance. Similar methods were in place for the bowling side, too. In this way, they themselves are able to know where they stand; it is a strategic analysis.

They actually came few days earlier to Chennai just to adjust with the weather conditions here. I had a 20-minute conversation with Clarke during which we discussed batting techniques and certain drives suitable on this pitch. He was very open to criticism and down to earth.

Mitchell Johnson bowled 1.5 hrs before playing the match. He made sure he bowled a couple of overs to every batsman in the squad for a solid 90 minutes right before the match. That is the sort of dedication they have. Moreover, they decide which player should play according to the wicket and not based on their forms and performances. This is an out-of-the-box thought when it comes to selecting the squad. Things like that are what I grasped from them.

How has cricket coaching changed?

Cricket, over the years, has changed a lot and has become a lot faster. Earlier the game techniques were given more importance. Now, along with the techniques, fitness and agility are given equal priority, too. New kinds of shots are being taught.

Also, in earlier days, there used to be just one coach for the whole team. Nowadays, we have one coach for batting, one coach for bowling, one fielding coach, one fitness coach, one yoga trainer, one physio, personal trainers, etc. There are many new drills and training equipments introduced, too. All said and done, the rapport between the coach and the player is what matters most, ultimately. Classic example is Kevin Pietersen.

Can India retain World Cup?

Of course, we can. That should be the spirit.

Is Test cricket a dying art?

May be it is as far as media and the so called ‘cricket fanatics’ are concerned, but, for a player, Test cricket is always important. Legendary players like Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara have always given due significance to Test cricket. Also, a true cricket lover will enjoy the essence of the game no matter what format it is in.

Your best moments in cricket

My best moment in cricket came on January 17, 1981. I was employed with BSNL (Tamil Nadu), and the match was against Bengal. We needed 40 runs to win from 5 overs. I scored 2 sixes and 4 fours, and we won the match in four overs. I remember one of the sixes I hit went way beyond the stadium. I was awarded the Man-of-the-Match.