Tom Moody, TOI’s joint Sports Guest Editor, feels ‘a blanket approach is as reckless as a reckless approach’. The Lucknow Super Giants think-tank gets together to discuss the challenges and rewards of the IPL…LUCKNOW: They say a good coach changes a game, while a great coach changes lives. So when Tom Moody, former Australian cricketer turned super coach, and New Zealand batting great Kane Williamson, both associated with the Lucknow Super Giants, agree to sit down together and talk cricket, it’s not only a perfect peek into the world of modern T20 strategising but a masterclass in coaching philosophy. Both were here in Lucknow as Times Sport Guest Editors. Both seemed delighted to share their ideas. We simply sat in rapt attention as they spoke. Excerpts from the conversation…In franchise coaching, where you have a two-month window, how do you go about shaping a broader vision for the unit?Moody (global director of cricket, LSG): It’s realistically a three-year window after a mega auction. We have a philosophy where we’re wanting to make sure we’re caring for players beyond the two months, whether that is physical or mental skill development, nutrition, strength or conditioning.So you give them homework?Moody: No. We give them opportunities to develop. Some players embrace it. Some take their time. Most cricketers are brought up focusing purely on the special development of one skill, whether it is playing the cover drive better or bowling the outswinger better. There’s more components to the game and we look to develop those. So now the outswing bowler has an inswinger, slower ball, bouncer, yorker. Plus you’ve got a good understanding of your best strength and conditioning program, how to look after yourself from a dietary perspective. There’s many things that make an elite athlete. Skills are a small part. Kane, you recently retired from T20s.How has the transition been? Do great batters necessarily make good coaches?Williamson (strategic advisor, LSG): I don’t think they always do but I’m excited at the opportunity. I still get the opportunity to be a part of the IPL. Players are here for a prime two-month window but how do you get your players to perform on that big stage? That’s why the big view needs to be taken. It’s great to be able to sort of pick up on some of the experiences of Tom and Justin (Langer, LSG head coach) and Arun (Bharat, LSG bowling coach).
Kane Williamson (left) and Tom Moody
Are we seeing the death of all-format players because of the very specific demands of T20?Williamson: The natural diet of T20 now takes up so much of the calendar that players aren’t getting exposed to all the different formats as often. It’s becoming more challenging. When we first started, you would go on two-month tours and play all formats. I’m grateful that growing up, Test cricket was absolutely the pinnacle. You cut your teeth in that and that set the foundation of your game. Just the volume of batting or bowling that you get, overs and runs under the belt, exposure to different situations, it sets you up for anything.That’s where some of my strengths lie. Guys like myself or Virat (Kohli) have games that aren’t just based on power, so we’re always looking for different ways to try and evolve our games and be of benefit to the team.You’re seeing a lot more powergame now, certainly in the IPL where you’ve got ‘Impact Players’. But if you look at someone like Virat, he is still on top of his T20 game. That’s because he’s so experienced and great at problem solving.So, you might see less all-format players, but who knows? You don’t even know whether there’ll still be some reasonable window (in the future) to keep red-ball cricket a priority!Moody: It’s dangerous to pigeonhole players in formats. I 100% agree with Kane with regards to the value of Test cricket or four-day cricket, like the Ranji Trophy. The foundation of your game is paramount and the longer format enables you to build that. And when you go to the pointy end of franchise cricket, and IPL is right at that pointy end, you’re facing the best in the world. If you don’t have a strong foundation, you’re already half a step behind.On top of that, you need to build other skills, which the likes of Kohli and Kane and Steve Smith and Joe Root have done. One thing that has become very, very obvious over time is that those types of skilled players still add incredible value to your T20 setup, but you don’t have many of them. You need to build a team around them because they enable others to switch gears quickly if the game requires.You need to have the tools in your bag to be able to set the stage if there’s a certain player that can take a bowler down for 20-plus (in an over). That’s where players we’re talking about are still valuable, because they’ll recognise those moments and create the window of opportunity for the power hitter to do his thing.You said it’s dangerous to pigeonhole players. Don’t modern selectors do exactly that?Moody: I’ve never been a selector and I think that’s very subjective. One of the challenges for Indian cricket is the overwhelming depth of resources they have. A new player turns up and you go ‘wow’ but that player has played only 10 first-class games and is just breaking through!So India’s challenge is fitting those faces into different formats and justifying why those faces are there. You identify as a T20 player because you’ve had a good IPL. Who’s to say you can’t be one of the best No. 5s in Tests but you’ve already been recognised as a T20 specialist? A lot of good No. 5s have an expansive game that can shift the momentum in Tests very quickly.
Is there a simple correlation to India’s rise as T20 power and relative decline as a Test side?Moody: No. They’ve got the personnel and just haven’t played well. They’ve come across teams like New Zealand that have planned very well. Sometimes when you’ve got so many options, you tend to create a little bit of instability within an environment. What is my role? Do I fit in here? One series you’re in, next series you’re not. In one series you’ve got an attack led by Bumrah. Next series, no Bumrah. Those types of things can be destructive to any format.Have T20s affected the defensive mindset of batters? Does that explain India’s recent struggles against spin?Williamson: It’s more of a case of understanding your game. The nature of T20 cricket demands changes and adjustments. If you’re playing a lot of it, then it does change a batsman’s ‘shape’ a little bit. That’s part of the earlier conversation around perhaps multi-format players getting exposure more consistently, so they’re able to go back into their red-ball bag and pull out the slight adjustments with their defensive positions which they may have shelved for T20s. So when the time comes to make those adjustments, they know what those adjustments are.Young players now are playing 80% white-ball cricket, where the challenges are different. You’re a product of your environment. It’s a good point. It’s worth putting time into really getting an understanding of what’s important to your game — in the different formats — so you can make those quick adjustments.Is there a place for selective explosion rather than the sort of sustained explosion T20 teams now chase?Moody: There’s a fine line. A blanket approach is as reckless as a reckless approach. An approach that aligns with how you feel you’re going to win games against an opposition in the given set of conditions is always a moving target. The way we may stack up for our first game may be very different to our second game in Hyderabad. Hyderabad has in recent times been a high-scoring ground where you can play the brand of cricket that Sunrises play. But you can’t play that brand of cricket at other venues. We need to be smart enough and nimble enough to be able to pivot in certain phases. And experience is invaluable when it comes to doing that. That’s where good captains, good coaching and collective awareness come into play.Is there too much pressure on the backroom staff to deliver trophies? And how do you not let that seep into the dressing room anxiety?Moody: It’s an interesting conversation because I don’t know anyone in this franchise, from support staff to administration staff to players to coaches, that don’t desperately want to win. It’s the ‘how’ that is the most powerful thing. If we focus purely on that destination, we’ll never reach it. So we need to constantly, as a group, look at the ‘how’. How do we react to the bumps on the road in a long tournament like the IPL? How do we react to injury challenges or a string of losses? How can I put something back into this environment to help it grow? How do we respond as a group?Aren’t LSG a bit top-heavy with Marsh, Markram, Pooran, Pant in the mix?Moody: You’ve got to have some heavy artillery up at the top. It creates competition, confidence.How fit is the pace unit?Moody: All our fast bowlers are fit. Obviously some of them haven’t played a lot of competitive cricket but they’re all available for selection. That’s a credit to the medical team led by Patrick Farhart. We’ve got to have fit domestic bowling units and this franchise has never had that on a consistent basis.Thoughts on the team’s finisher, or maybe the lack of one?Moody: The one player that excites me is Abdul Samad. He had a breakout season last year and he lifted the Ranji Trophy. There’s a sense of real maturity in him.Batting at Nos. 5, 6, 7 is hardest in T20s. There have only been a handful of great finishers. I’m not saying Samad’s quite at that level yet but he’s on that journey. To be able to have an Indian that can impact games is a valuable asset.Kane, when you talk to somebody like Rishabh Pant, who may not have had the kind of white-ball success which was anticipated, what do you tell him and how do you go about trying to unlock that potential?Williamson: He’s got a lot more than potential, having delivered at the highest level on a number of occasions. He’s that rare all-format player. We’ve seen his skill set and how dynamic he is. It’s just the competition for slots in India. They could have two or three teams competing. Rishabh continues to grow and mature, as all players do over time and learn about their game. He seems in a really good place.Is T20 too rigid about its match-ups and strategising? Is there still a place for fluid, dynamic on-field leadership?Williamson: You need to have done your homework. The game is so fast now, you’re under a lot of time pressure. With over-rates, you don’t want to get caught in that space. So you want to be reasonably well-planned. But the thing with plans is they never unfold perfectly. So there’s total scope for being instinctive on the field and getting a read if the conditions change. But that’s something you can fall back on only if you need it.In the other formats, there’s a lot more time and there’s a lot more spots where the game sits still. The IPL isn’t like that. Without the ‘Impact Player’ there was more strategy in different directions you could go in. It’s high-octane now so there’s more pressure. The margins are really, really small.Kane, has the T20 format explored its strategic peak? Where do you see T20 batting evolving?Williamson: Everybody’s just going to continue to push the boundaries. That’s why scores are going through the roof and bowlers are trying to come up with different solutions to be effective. We’re going to see more and more young players coming through who are bred on a diet of T20 cricket. So, you know, little Johnny will be trying to hit the ball for six when he’s five, rather than using a high elbow and playing it late like little Kane did!New Zealand have benefitted from free contracts where players can go into franchise cricket and reap the rewards without controversy. Will other teams follow suit?Williamson: Every team is in a slightly different position on this. For New Zealand, working against the tide isn’t really an option. It’s more challenging for some other countries who may have a little bit more weight in their ability to restrict players, by the nature and value of their contracts. For us it’s been helpful, but also a move we couldn’t ignore.Kane, will being this close to players, talking strategy all the time, advising players, being on the ground for training sessions, make you want to put on your pads again?Williamson: Yeah, even Moods (Moody) wants me to put the pads back on! It’s a good question. I haven’t felt like that yet, but I love the game and I love supporting others. Even if I’m involved in just the problem-solving bit, whether that’s batting and technique or some of the mental challenges that you face with the noise that surrounds the game, I’m happy. I haven’t put the pads on just yet.Moody: By choosing to be in this role, you’re not available for two years now! You’re not in the ‘Impact’ sublist!Williamson: I’m not, no, no!Coming to the Impact list. Does it help gloss over selection issues?Moody: 100% it does. You’re basically solving everyone’s problem of a genuine allrounder. Also the headache of balancing a squad. It covers a bad auction by providing flexibility. The auction is still critical but it was even more so before. You can’t leave your captain with a situation where he’s searching for options. You’ve got the impacts, you’ve always got that balance.But is it healthy?Moody: I don’t think it’s unhealthy. There’s positives and negatives. It creates a more dynamic format of the game. We’ve seen scores go up, fans enjoy seeing more sixes hit and a faster game. Will it have a long-term impact on Indian cricket? Probably yes, because your genuine allrounders are going to be harder to find. Less problem solving too, I reckon. You’re just frontloading 10 batters!
