It seems like yesterday now, but it has been nearly 12 years since Tom Moody first applied for an India coach role.
Then in 2005, India’s first foreign coach John Wright was going away and there was a desperate search for his successor. A group of powerful senior players like Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and also Anil Kumble were keen for Moody to take over.
However, they faced an even bigger obstacle in their captain Sourav Ganguly, who wanted a former Australian captain, Greg Chappell to get the role. Ganguly had his way, Chappell came in, shook things up and the rest, as they say, is history.
Twelve years later, we have the same principal characters again in the mix, for the same goal – to choose the next Indian coach. And there is one constant in the story – Tom Moody – who is apparently pitching himself to take up the role that eluded him in 2005.
The other characters in that coach saga of 2005, have moved on. However, Kumble is now competing with Moody for the job in front of a panel that includes Ganguly and Tendulkar. Moving in circles, we seemed to have finally reached the same point.
In fact Moody was also an applicant last year when Kumble was chosen. He has some patience to be willing to go through the same process thrice in 12 years!
It is now more than ever that Moody is needed around an Indian set-up. He was Dravid, Tendulkar and Kumble’s choice in 2005 because they saw in him a Wright prototype. A quiet, understated, background operator who would let the captain run the ship.
That was the role Wright played, and later Gary Kirsten. We hardly heard Duncan Fletcher ever talk, except when he arrived, so we have very little intelligence on his era.
But Moody was identified long back by the golden generation as the man to take Indian cricket forward. Maybe 12 years on, we must pick up the pieces and pitch Moody into the most sought-after position in world cricket. Moody comes with great experience of coaching, with a varied set of roles in franchise T20 cricket, county cricket and also with Sri Lanka (which he took up after the India rejection in 2005).
In Sri Lanka, Moody is still highly regarded. In 2007, Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardena said:
He has challenged every individual, not just me personally, but all fifteen or sixteen players and every time he had challenged us not to stay at one place and make sure that we improve ourselves from where we are.
At this moment, Moody is tailor-made for the India coach’s role because he will let the captain be in charge. That should sit well with Virat Kohli, who has been trying to assert that he is in charge as India’s skipper.
Also, Moody will not be risk averse, and innovative, which is what India should be looking for in the coming two years as we have a number of series abroad. This is of course all in the realm of speculation, but it sits well to talk about it now when you have a look at the other candidates.
Too Early for Virender Sehwag
In India, we all know that if a player of Virender Sehwag’s stature applies for a position, he would not do so without being asked to.
Sehwag will definitely be on top of the list for the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC). He is sure to be the one that makes most headlines. But there are a number of reasons why Sehwag is too early for the role.
For one, most of his teammates are still in action for India, or at some level in the country. This will put him in direct conflict at times when it comes to taking decisions. He was an instinctive cricketer, but this role of coach requires a lot more than instinct, which he might acquire by cutting his teeth in franchise cricket, maybe.
The ‘Other’ Candidates
Of the other candidates, Lalchand Rajput has been a hard-nosed Mumbai cricketer – a street smart coach for Mumbai, India A and now Afghanistan. His stint as cricket manager for India in 2007-08 is not often counted, but it still forms part of his CV. Rajput and even Dodda Ganesh simply do not have the stature to coach this Indian side.
Richard Pybus was somewhat a surprise pick by Pakistan back in 1999. He has played several roles across the globe since then from Pakistan to Bangladesh and most recently West Indies. But Pybus is no longer among the most sought-after coaches in world cricket.
One of the most sought-after in recent years has been former Australian paceman Jason Gillespie. England and Australia have sought him out, but he has proved elusive for them. Till he throws his hat in the ring, maybe India should opt for his countryman, Moody. Maybe 12 years on, we can finally make the right choice!
(Chandresh Narayanan is ex-cricket writer for The Times of India, The Indian Express, ex-Media Officer for ICC and current media manager of Delhi Daredevils. He is also the author of World Cup Heroes, Cricket Editorial consultant, professor and cricket TV commentator.)
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