Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Lad
Dinesh Lad is one of the most respected names in the cricketing fraternity. He has coached players like Rohit Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Yashavi Jaiswal, and many more.
In an exclusive interview with India TV, Dinesh Lad, gave answers to some of the most important questions doing rounds. From Rohit and Kohli’s form to the inclusion of Umran and Arshdeep in the national side, the interview has it all.
Excerpts from the Interview
On IPL as a criteria for team selection
I have said it before, and I’ll say it again, IPL is not cricket. It’s entertainment. Even the Test side was selected based on IPL 4-5 years ago, which is wrong. The selection in the T20 side can be justified, but Test and ODI selection based on IPL is wrong.
On Indian players vs Foreign players in terms of strike rate and accusitions on them about stat-padding
Personal performance is also very important. Personal performance and teams’ performance go hand in hand. All the talk about Indian players stat-padding or playing for themselves is wrong. Kohli might be in a shell because of poor performance. It is bound to affect anybody. He is also a human.
On the inclusion of Umran, Arshdeep in the national side
They should play more domestic cricket. Last time also, a few players got selected based on IPL performances in the World Cup, and the result was for everyone to see. A direct chance in the Indian team is not a good choice in my opinion. Players like Mukesh, Umran, and Mohsin should first play for India A.
On the most impressive young player
Umran Malik and Mukesh impressed me the most. Both bowled beautifully. Rajat Patidar and Tripathi are 29-30 years old, you cannot call them youngsters. Jaiswal can get opportunities. But again, all of them should first play domestic and India A first.
On Rohit Sharma’s poor performance and the time away from cricket
Bad performance doesn’t mean Rohit is a bad player. Vacation for him is a good idea as players need to be relaxed after playing continuous cricket and being away from family.
Opting out of the SA series is his personal view, but I want him to be mentally relaxed. Yes, if he would have played, it might have turned out to be a great scoring opportunity for him. Rest, I know his nature. Once he starts practising, he just thinks about cricket. I am sure he will have a big hand to play in the World Cup down-under. But yes, he should have played at least two matches.
On his belief that Rohit Sharma will have a good outing in the one-off test vs England
Rohit is the sort of player who churns out best performances after spending time at the crease. I believe if he stays at the crease for some time, he becomes a very dangerous batsman.
On age factor and Sharma’s pull shot problem
I feel he’ll be able to play cricket for another 2 years. If he’s feeling that he’s getting out while playing the pull shot, he should control it. Yes, of course, age is a factor, and he’s been playing cricket continuously, but I don’t think he has ever taken pressure. But yes, he should concentrate on his fitness as age is definitely a factor.
On Virat’s form
Virat is a wonderful batsman, and I feel he’ll make a strong comeback. Almost every cricketer has had to go through a bad patch – even Vivian Richards and Sunil Gavaskar went through a bad patch.
I think it’s more about mental strength rather than form. He should concentrate on that. Rest he’ll bat well, we can’t talk much about that. I want him to break Sachin’s century record.
On the narrative that there’s no place for Rohit-Kohli in the T20 squad
I do not agree with this. One IPL cannot decide this. If both of them play at their best, India will definitely win the World Cup.
On Hardik Pandya
He has worked on himself after the injury. A player like Hardik should be in a World Cup team. His presence has strengthened our middle order.
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