Former Indian cricketer Robin Singh has applied for the role of head coach in the Indian cricket team, and also criticised the present coach, Ravi Shastri.
Robin Singh has become the latest applicant for the position of head coach in the Indian cricket team. A fiery fielder during his time on the playing field, Robin has a diverse experience in coaching.
He began his coaching career from India U19s, and went on to coach India A, where he groomed players like Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa. He also had a short stint with Hong Kong’s national cricket team, before joining team India as their fielding coach in 2007.
He’s famously known for his stint as the head coach of Mumbai Indians, which he joined in 2010. His coaching tenure saw the revival of Mumbai Indians after successive finishes outside the top-4.
Robin is currently the fielding coach with the Mumbai franchise.
In an interview with ‘The Hindu’, Robin Singh revealed that he has applied for the post of head coach in the national cricket team, and was also critical of Ravi Shastri, the present coach.
“Under the current coach, India has lost in the semifinals of two successive ODI World Cups, and in the last four stage of the World Twenty20 championship as well. Now is the time to prepare for the 2023 World Cup and a change could be good for the side,” he said.
“You got to transport yourself mentally into the game, put yourself in situations that the team and the players face, be a part of the moves, get into the players' mind. You can do this, only if you understand the game technically.”
He added that he didn’t agree with a few of the decisions made in the semifinal of the 2019 World Cup, where India lost by 18 runs to New Zealand.
"With the ball moving around and India losing Rohit Sharma early, I would have held back Virat Kohli to the No. 4 slot. For that game, I would have picked another top-order batsman, Mayank Agarwal, at No. 3. M.S. Dhoni would have been No. 5 and he would have got more time. Kohli and Dhoni could have batted together.
“Then, we could have had the three power hitters, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja coming in."
