Former Australia coach, John Buchanan’s new book *The Future of Cricket: The Rise of Twenty20 *cites India’s Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman as unsuitable for the Twenty20 format.
Referring to Tendulkar’s stature, Buchanan wrote, “Tendulkar has been lauded, and rightly so, as one of the very top batsmen in the history of cricket. But is he an effective T20 player at this stage of his career?
“In the position he plays - as an opener or No. 3 - the T20 game requires not only the finesse and skills he has, but also the power and domination, an ability to take the bowlers on while being creative. You have to be inventive and fearless. And I don’t see those qualities as part of Sachin’s makeup at this stage of his career. Sachin Tendulkar is still a great player but not in this arena of T20.”
Speaking of other Indian batsmen, Buchanan expressed similar views, “Homegrown heroes such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Harbhajan Singh and VVS Laxman, were expected to influence, and on some occasions single-handedly win IPL matches,” Buchanan said. “Yet their subdued performances highlight that Test match temperament does not necessarily ensure prolonged success in the T20 game.
“The same could be said about Rahul Dravid. Dravid is a great representative of Indian cricket, a team man, humble, a well-spoken gentleman. But unfortunately he could not score a single run in the early rounds of the IPL, and in my opinion, is not suited to this form of the game. I am certain Dravid’s performances were also affected by the off-field drama created by his franchise owner Vijay Mallya.”
Buchanan also considered Yuvraj Singh’s attitude, stating, “Yuvraj Singh in a sense tries to be a modern-day Sourav Ganguly, but I don’t think he has the charisma or the dignity with which Ganguly carries himself. Ganguly was the model for the new breed of confident and combative Indian cricketers. Ganguly showed that Indian cricket could stand up for itself. He is similar in that way to Ian Chappell who stood up for what he believed and was not afraid to take on the administration.”
John Buchanan is the former cricket coach of Australia and Indian Premier League’s Kolkata Knight Riders team. Buchanan was surrounded by a row of controversies during the IPL in South Africa where his strategies for KKR proved fatal for the team’s performance. Also, a former Indian player pointed finger at Buchanan for racial discrimination against Indian players. Ultimately, Buchanan was sacked for his poor performance.
His coaching record of 15 wins from 15 games was often questioned by legends like Ian Chappell, Sunil Gavaskar and also Shane Warne stating that his achievement was no better than mere coincidence as he inherited a very strong team.
Leaving aside the controversies, author of an inspirational book, titledIf Better Is Possible, Buchanan has elaborated his efforts in leading Australia to unique glory. Along with giving behind-the-scenes look at the success, he also shares his secrets and details behind the extraordinary wins.