Brian Lara knows both sides of the coin. The West Indian is an all-time great and has coached one of the biggest franchises in the world, Sunrisers Hyderabad, as well. Speaking from experience, Lara knows that it can be difficult to handle a superstar as a coach, giving the example of Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid.
Virat Kohli difficult to coach for Rahul Dravid?
Talking with PTI, Lara compared Kohli to Sir Vivian Richards and how people coached find it intimidating to tell them what to do. He said:
“Sometimes, when you have a team with a lot of superstars, you forget the plan and you believe that the superstars can do it. They just have to turn up. Sometimes you may feel, as a coach, intimidated, telling Sir Vivian Richards or Virat Kohli, you know exactly what you expect of them.”
“First of all, in terms of the players that were selected in the squad, let me start by saying that that’s a dilemma that a lot of countries have faced in the past. The West Indies in 1988 (1987 actually) is one example. Obviously, when you have such great players, you want to stick to that experience because you feel that they can do it, and there’s nothing wrong with it,” Lara said while talking about star players like Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
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Lara’s advice to Rahul Dravid
“You’ve got a lot of exciting young players coming out and you also have that sort of conundrum. India have gone with a team that has experience. My advice, and it’s not my criticism, it’s my advice to Rahul Dravid is to make sure and have a plan,” Lara stated.
“The team is capable of winning the World Cup. Yes, it’s a team that have maybe a couple of youngsters missing because of the situation. But I still believe that if they plan properly. India could win the World Cup,” Brian Lara said on Men in Blue’s chance to win the T20 World Cup 2024.
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