The Trouble with Aussie Coaches

Tom Moody and Kings XI Punjab are new additions to the turbulent history between Indian teams and Australian coaches.

With the exception of Pakistan, India’s most tense cricketing relationship has been with Australia. Sunil Gavaskar walked off the pitch with Chetan Chauhan in Melbourne in 1980-81 after being given out lbw off Dennis Lillee. Two decades later, Sourav Ganguly got under the skin of Steve Waugh. Ganguly then had confrontations with Greg Chappell when Chappell was India coach. Harbhajan Singh launched a Hindi invective at Andrew Symonds, whose knowledge of the languages is not the same as liquors, and Monkeygate erupted.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has added another dimension to this uneasy equation. Since last year, we have seen at least one IPL team with an Australian coach that has not only disintegrated in form but also gotten progressively controversial. Last year, it was John Buchanan and the Kolkata Knight Riders. This time, it is Tom Moody and the Kings XI Punjab.

You might say that five of the eight IPL teams have Australian coaches and it is natural that one or two would flop. But this theory is not so much about the results as much as the incompatibility between some Indian players and some Australian coaches. Besides, the two Australian coaches that have done well in the IPL have fellow Aussies as captains. Shane Warne, coach of 2008 champions Rajasthan Royals, generally has good relations with Shane Warne, the captain. Darren Lehmann coaches defending champions Deccan Chargers, whose captain is Adam Gilchrist.

At the last IPL in South Africa, Buchanan’s Kolkata Knight Riders lost so frequently and were so mocked everywhere, that after a point they were like hired slapstick clowns. Kings XI Punjab have not sunk to that level yet. But, like KKR last year, their wins are very few. As this is being written, they have two victories in nine matches and are bottom of the table.

Punjab players told a newspaper that Moody was rude to them but gave preferential treatment to international players. Another theory is that Yuvraj Singh is sulking at being replaced as captain by Kumar Sangakkara. But if Moody is bossing Yuvraj around, Yuvraj can boss him back too. In South Africa last year, as Moody tried to avoid facing the media after a defeat, Yuvraj called him back, saying, “Don’t just appear for a press conference after a win.”

What is the lesson in all this for Australian coaches and Indian teams, especially those with strong, starry personalities? Perhaps, they should think twice and look at the past record before committing to each other.

Aussie coachcricketTom Moody