New Delhi:Â Gautam Gambhir said playing international cricket is not a prerequisite to become a successful T20 batting coach, whose job according to the former India opener is to help players cultivate a positive mindset.
The cricketer- turned-politician said that a batting coach can be appointed exclusively for the shortest format of the game. Probably, you can just have a different batting coach for T20s, just for that particular format. It is really not true that someone who hasnât played international cricket or who hasnât played enough cricket canât become a successful coach, Gambhir said on Star Sportsâ show âCricket Connectedâ.
What ultimately a coach does in T20 format is frees your mindset, feeds your mindset and makes you hit those goals and those big shots,â he added.
The World Cup-winning opener said the job of the batting coach in T20 cricket is not to teach how to hit shots.
No one teaches you how to hit a lap shot or a reverse lap shot, no coach can do that. If someone is trying to do that to a player, he is harming him more than actually making him a better player. However, Gambhir is of the opinion that being a successful player helps become a better selector.
‘ It is not important that you have played a lot of cricket for you to be a very successful coach. Probably, that is right for a selector but not for a coach.’