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On Sunday, January 5, India lost the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 by 1-3 margin after losing the fifth Test in Sydney by six wickets. While this was India’s first defeat in the highly-anticipated since 2014-15 edition. After the defeat, several spoke of the India’s defeat including former India cricketer Yograj Singh, who also shed light on the dismal form from the bat of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Speaking to IANS, Yograj Singh highlighted the similar dismissals Virat Kohli fell to throughout the series, while sending out a loud message to the Gautam Gambhir-led coaching staff. It is to be noted that Virat Kohli managed to score 190 runs across the five Tests, whereas Rohit Sharma could only score 31 runs in the three Tests he played during India’s tour of Australia.
What you truly need is someone for man management: Yograj Singh after India’s BGT loss
The 66-year-old former Indian cricketer opined that a player like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli, might not necessarily need coaching in traditional sense, but require man-management to uplift their game. "The role of a coach becomes a significant question when you are playing for India. When you're an exceptional player representing India, you might not necessarily need coaching in the traditional sense. What you truly need is someone for man management. Sometimes, a player's mind gets blocked; they might not be scoring runs, or they keep getting out. No matter how great a player is, they can't be bigger than the game itself," Singh told IANS.
"Such players need someone to guide them, to say, 'Let's go to the nets and work on this'. For example, Virat Kohli got out many times playing his favourite shot - the right-hand push. That shot works on Indian pitches, in England, and elsewhere. But on certain pitches where the ball bounces and carries more, someone should have told him, 'Virat, don't play this shot'. Just play straight or leave this ball,” he added. "This illustrates the difference between coaching and management. Identifying and pointing out a player's technical fault is coaching. Someone needs to recognise and convey these technical issues to the players. But who will tell Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli? Even they want someone to come and tell them what's going wrong," he continued.
Speaking about head coach Gautam Gambhir's coaching style, Singh added, "Gambhir is a brilliant cricketer with a brilliant mind. He has the ability to guide the team forward. However, where there's a mistake, he points it out - and rightly so. But to hold the younger players together, proper management is essential."
"Someone needs to tell them, 'Virat, it's no big deal; it happens to everyone'. 'Rohit, don't worry, these phases come and go'. 'Bumrah, you're doing great; just stay focused'. The younger players, especially fast bowlers like Siraj, need to be guided and supported. Someone should stand with them, show them the way, and help them understand the nuances of the game," he further said. The 66-year-old further added that management becomes key during the players’ struggling form.
