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In my younger days a typical session would start with a jog for a couple of minutes, followed by a few stretches and you were straight into the nets. I would bowl from the start till I got exhausted and worry if I stopped, the coach would feel I was not fit. The moment I slowed down, he would ask, "Kayre, damlas ka? (Tired already?)". I would promptly reply, "No sir" and pick up the ball and bowl. By the time the nets would get over I would not be in a state to walk, leave alone field. It did make me fitter, but it also made it easier to fall into wrong habits. The fielding practice would involve a few catches here and there followed by a few drills and the net session would be over.

When you reach the first-class level, things improve a bit. At least the teams I have played in work on their basics. The players do realise now that it's not just a fancy thing. For a coach, it's important to explain why a certain thing is being done. For example, although there is a conventional approach of running between the wickets in a straight line, there is another concept where while looking to go for a second you can take a U-turn running in a small semi-circle near the popping crease – something Jonty Rhodes used to do effectively. By going the latter way, a batsman never has to stop while turning, allowing him to keep the momentum intact. Different batsmen respond differently to different methods, but all these things can be tried and results had on paper. It's then easier to explain to a kid and say, "That's why you should take a U-turn, or this is why you should run in a straight line."

The coach has to make sure that every drill is not just a chore to be done, but it leads to something that can be used in a match situation. A relay throw, the fielders need to know, helps the fielder who is midway between stumps and boundary to go for either end. Otherwise, the moment the ball leaves your hand from the boundary line, you have no control over it. So while relay throws may take an extra second, they make both ends danger ends.

We do try to teach such basics at the first-class level, but sometimes players come to the Ranji level without any knowledge of these basics. Not all of them make first-class debuts at a mouldable age, say 18-19. So it is difficult to undo things like faulty throwing techniques and diving methods. They do practise but when instincts take over in a match situation, they tend to do the same old thing.

That there is still a long way to go shows in the over-rates in Indian first-class cricket. Almost every match goes into the reserve half an hour to finish the stipulated 90 overs per day. Generally speaking, the urgency is lacking. Australian cricket, in contrast, is high-paced; you don't see anyone walking in between the overs. And that is not inbuilt; they keep constantly working on that.

The solution probably lies in coaching the coaches and also making sure coaches for an age group don't change every year. Currently, a player has to interact with a different coach each year and with different techniques and drills, it is easy to get confused and develop wrong habits.

Yes, the basics were all too conspicuous by their absence at the MCG.

The running between the wickets is a case in point, especially the run out of Harbhajan.

I play club cricket in Melbourne and we train two nights a week.

One night is exclusively devoted to fielding drills for the first half with the second half in the nets. The next night is centre wicket practice with a lot of focus on the basics. I'd like to make the point about the running and who calls.

Basic rule is, "TRUST YOUR PARTNER".

Next, anything in the 180' arc forward of square (between point and square leg) is the striker's call. Anything that goes backward of square is the non-striker's call.

As the stroke is played and depending on where it goes in these areas, the early and loud call by the striker/non striker is "YES", "NO" or "WAITING".

And if it is a YES, then the other person runs hard, without turning to look at the ball, for he does trust the call.

With the advent of professional cricket, the emphasis on the other skills of cricket (fielding, running between wickets) has become an area that one team can gain a serious advantage over another.

However, as you correctly point out, it omes down to coaching at junior levels and this is one area where Cricket Australia has mde a conscious effort to improve coaching at every level, again ahead of every other cricket nation.

Paras, can you remember the Australian Cricket team of the Mid 80's?. With the exception of Allan Border, the team could not catch or throw under presssure but with Old School coach in bob Simpson and a hard nosd captain, they practised and practised until it became a postive skill and these lessons have been learned and improved by the following 3 Aussie captains and this has trickled down to junior levels.

So my point is, these skills can be learnt at Frist class level, it just takes a coach that is respected and a clear long term commitment to coaching.

Your blog entries are the most impressive that I have read. You point out a lot of interesting facets about Indian cricket. I totally agree with all you say. Perhaps the slow over rates is also due to each bowler seemingly bowling an average of 5 no balls per innings - a perfect example of the lack of basics (in this case, a run up) taught to domestic cricketers or ever school cricketers.

In England, where I live, I remember being taught to slide the bat in, run in a straight line...etc...and more importantly was given justification of these techniques.

Maybe a good way to ensure the right techniques are being taught universally would be for the BCCI to introduce a coaching qualification of their own (rather than using the ECB's), so they know that all qualified coaches will know certain techniques which they can pass on.

A bunch of individuals fighting against a team. Hey Paras, for once I heard the truth from a player who has spent time in the international arena. Else, it's only lies from the most crooked people running the "BUSINESS". ICC President Malcolm Speed was right in judging BCCI as the richest sports body in the world lacks the intentions of producing the best team in the world.

For the past 7 years, I have been supporting the Aussies and beleive me except the Ashes Series in England in 2005-2006, they have never let me down.
India nedds a lot of improvement in many fields to be truly regarded as world champions.

Somebody listening?

There is mindset in India that batting and bowling is all someone needs to do to play at the highest level. What is missing in the sub-continent is a system at the grassroots level of cricket. Players needs to understand you can be the best batsman or bowler but if you are not a good fielder you will not make any team irrespective of who you are. A poor fielder hurt his team in more ways than one. You do not need someone to work with you for you to become a better fielder. You must have the interest and desire to be better than the next player. I once met a first class player from Hyderabad, India who could not properly throw a cricket ball. Observing him for 3 days all he did was strap on his pads to bat in the nets. As a selector I approached him and told him of my observation. He assured me he was a good fielder, until I proved him otherwise. He could not hit a wicket keepers gloves from 20 yds. He could not underarm a left hand throw 15 ft as a right hander and he played first class?

Running Between the wickets (RBW) - Practice is not about going into nets and hitting the ball for hours or bowling for hours. Practice will have to have a purpose. Practice is useless if done without a pre-defined purpose. Practices need to be arranged with a specific focus on RBW. Such practice session needs to happen often (once or twice a week) and not once in a blue moon.

To develop RBW, Growing up, we used to have a 50 yard circle or even lesser. The bowler will have to bowl from 2-3 steps. Batsmen used to play with or without pads. The ball used to be a very old ball. The batsman is out if the ball crosses the 50-yard circle. Only way batsman can score is to play with a soft hand and run as hard as possible. At the maximum, a batsman can take singles and twos. We used to have about 7-8 fielders. Skills developed include – playing with soft hands, running hard, learning how to take singles and twos, picking up on fielders who are weak, playing in the gaps, fielding and throwing. Try it out.

Until and unless fielding stats are maintained (a la baseball, to some extent) it will NEVER be looked at seriously by players more worried about maintaining their place in the squad than winning the game.

The 15 great stops at covers or 9 booming throws from deep mid-wicket straight to the keeper's gloves are brushed off (by the media and subsequently, the fans) as 'yeah, he's a good fielder' and forgotten 15 seconds after writing/uttering those words, whereas a half-century or a five-for is praised for and recalled years after the event.

Until someone is FIRED for being a lousy fielder (and IMHO, there're a couple of good candidates in every team, other than maybe AUS), players will not take fielding seriously.

Paras, I totally agree with you that the coaching standards in our country need an improvement. I know that many coaches at the school-level sill rely on age-old methods of coaching. They must pay attention to the fitness and improving the bad habits of players, as you have rightly put it. Players in India are naturally talented but they lag behind because of not having proper awareness of correct techniques and not being mentally tough enough. Then there is also the problem of the quality of our fielders. This is where a good coach should step in. There really should be coaching clinics for coaches.
Meanwhile, any thoughts on improving the umpiring standards in our country?

Thank you Paras for that insight into a system that has gone terribly wrong. First point would be that, in olden days there was this kind of blind faith and belief that made playesr work I believe that actually made cricketers like Kapil Dev,the spin trio, Gavaskar etc etc But, now even with teh facilities having impproved why is the standard going down. Look at our spin bowling, after Kumble who is there? Bhajji cant turn the bowl and is not consistent either and I believe the new crop of bowlers liek Pityush Chawla fall to the same bracket. Coaching leaves a lot to be desired and at the some time pure match practice is also lacking in many players. Look at Yuvraj Singh. Has he played 3 Ranji matches in a row? Isn't that one opf the major reasons why Laxman, having confined a lot to domestic circuit, is able to produce those dogged innings hwen Yuvi is tsruggling to last 30mins in the middle?I think the basic fact is that most of the Indian youngsters are not battle-hardened.

Most cricket coaches in India go for basic physical training exercises for the cricketers and emphasise more on the results than how they are achieved. Of course, it’s the result that matters most; if a bowler is getting wickets, he’s the eye-candy of the coach. But the latter has to ensure that the candy doesn’t get dissolved in injury too soon.

What’s the point in having an Ashish Nehra or a Laxmipathy Balaji or a Munaf Patel going great guns in a season or a tour, for that matter, and then withering away? Bengal medium pacer Shib Shanker Paul bowled well enough in a season or two that earned him a place in the Indian squad (not a cap, though) only to have him cool his heels with an injury in the next season.

India is desperately in need of competent coaches. Perhaps, there is no lack of enthusiasm and sincerity on the current bunch of coaches, but many seem to lack the skill to have the cricketers perform and compete competently at the higher levels continuously for long.

every cricketer should be taught whether batting or bowling that every run counts and wickets bring new batsmen to the crease.

thats why its important to do catching and fielding drills,and take pride in games of stopping extra runs and taking your chances when fielding.i like to hear talking every ball because it keeps the energy levels up,boredom or not being switched on leads to dropped catches and poor fielding.being a bowler i like to say to batsmen in the team,fielding today but taking our chances and chasing hard in the field we saved 30 and 50 runs minimum i hate lazy fielders it brings the whole team down.also bowling constant wides and no balls can give the opposition 10 runs they didnt deserve.
im not a very batsmen but you run the first run as hard as you possibly can and turn 1s into to 2s and help the batsmen on strike out by adding to his his total and the partnership,every run is vital.
if i were coach i would have 3 traing days a week,1 day on fitness and fielding

Coaching the coaches. We need more educating educators. Physical education is oft neglected as it doesn't get you places in universities. It should do. Only then are you going to produce sparklers at the top. Physical activity in itself is a priority. Those who want to excel in one sport need to develop skill in other sport to complement and transfer train. Soccer in West indies, Surfing or Swimming in Australia, Rugby in New Zealand and so on. Who'd dare say Yuvraj's ice skating didn't help his cricketing skills. For that matter break dancing!

So, yes go back to training kids at school and get them to develop all round physical abilities and skill.
well done Paras.

Paras, you have mentioned very interesting points. The grassroot level coaching is the key also i feel there should be a constant review of coaches knowledge. What i have found is that since most of the coaches are the ones who have played quite a lot of cricket, they seem to pass on their bad habits and techniques to the yougsters they are coaching. It could be that some unconventional technique may have worked for them but would not work for everybody. There are also some bad habits formed when you play gully cricket at a very young age, these habits need to be changed ASAP and there is no better way than to make the player understand the reasoning behind the particular technique.