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[dextrous]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/Shame-no-Indian-was-found-competent-for-coachs-job-Sangakkara/articleshow/8134925.cms

NEW DELHI: Former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara on Sunday said it is a "shame" that no Indian was found competent to coach the World champions.

Sangakkara was surprised that despite so many exceptional Indian cricketers around, the Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI) found no one competent for the job.

"Having produced some many good cricketers in the region...it is a shame that no suitable candidate was found competent to take over the national side," he said.

Sangakkara said it is important for the boards to make the full use of the home grown coaches.

"It is important that home grown coaching ability and talent is exploited to the fullest like home grown playing talent and ability.

"In Sri Lanka we lost a great opportunity in Chandika Hathurusingha, who was capable enough to take over the national side. Unfortunately, we lost him to Australia," Sangakkara said.

Hathurusingha, a one-time shadow coach of the Sri Lanka team, was suspended by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on disciplinary grounds in June before he decided to migrate to Australia. During his three-year tenure, Hathurusingha played a crucial role in the shaping the players' mental make-up which made them successful at international level.

Sangakkara admitted getting a good coach is a tough task for all the boards.

"Finding a No. 1 coach is the most difficult hurdle that any board would face. Those are difficult choices and from a Sri Lankan perspective every body would like to have a Sri Lankan as the coach of the national team," he said.

"From this part of the world having a local coach means the person comes in with a lot of baggage with past experiences that might colour his views on coaching and players in the particular side that he takes over. So sometimes having a foreign coach is convenient from these points of view."

[WicketView]

Bah ... mind games?

And the Sri Lankan coach is/was Trevor Bayliss. The Sri Lankan in the mix whom Sangakarra names was banned (there have been many counterstories, and I don't follow the details of SL politics).

Incidentally, a number of big names in India have not thrown in their names into the ring. Shastri famously declined the possibility of a longer committment, because (I believe) he had something to lose ... his  commentary position ... in case things did not turn out right as coach.

[dextrous]

from an old article on a sri lankan site:

Reflecting back on Sangakkara’s decision to quit the captaincy when there was no need for him to do so at this stage one wonders whether it had anything to do with an incident that took place last June involving the sacking of shadow coach Chandika Hathurusingha? On that occasion Sangakkara personally wrote to the chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket DS de Silva pleading to retain Hathurusingha as a coach in the team because of his valuable contribution. Sangakkara wrote, “I am writing this to put before you in an impersonal and objective manner the value Chandika has added to the national cause. This contains not only my personal point of view but the opinions of the whole squad of national players both senior and new who respect and admire him for the work done. My interest in regaining the services of Chandika is purely selfish. I want to be a part of the team coached by the best and Chandika is without doubt a fine coach. I firmly believe that after the 2011 World Cup he has the capability to ably head the coaching of the national team into the future supported by Champaka Ramanayake, Ruwan Kalpage and others. I also believe that having Chandika in our coaching team considerably enhances our chances in the 2011 World Cup.”

But the reply he got from the SLC hierarchy was for him to concentrate on the game and control his players and to leave the administration to deal with other matters such as the Hathurusingha issue. Wouldn’t that kind of response from the controlling body hurt the feelings of a national captain and dent his pride?
On August 29, 2010 we wrote in this column: “If SLC keeps pushing Sangakkara and not giving him the support he needs at this juncture there will come a time (very soon) when Sangakkara like his predecessor Mahela Jayawardene would step down from the captaincy. He doesn’t need the captaincy to secure his place in the team for he is undoubtedly one of the finest left-hand batsmen to grace the cricket field and can hold his place in any World XI let alone the Sri Lanka team. Is this what the hierarchy at SLC is hoping for? Do they think they have enough potential captains in their bare cupboard to replace Sangakkara?
It hasn’t taken too long for it to happen, has it?
http://www.nation.lk/2011/04/10/sports3.htm

[dextrous]

Bah ... mind games?

And the Sri Lankan coach is/was Trevor Bayliss. The Sri Lankan in the mix whom Sangakarra names was banned (there have been many counterstories, and I don't follow the details of SL politics).

Incidentally, a number of big names in India have not thrown in their names into the ring. Shastri famously declined the possibility of a longer committment, because (I believe) he had something to lose ... his  commentary position ... in case things did not turn out right as coach.

based on the other article, i think sangakarra is very much in favor of local coaches.

[Cernunnos]

The BCCI's tax-free remit is not just to look after the Indian men's team, but towards the the entire Indian cricketing eco-system which includes coaches, match-referees and umpires (this is an entire subject on it's own - not a single world class umpire!). By making the national coach a preserve for someone out of the system, it's going back on it's fundamental duty towards the game. The foreign coach experiment was a short term move to set the house in order and to establish a certain work culture. I believe the BCCI must look at this very seriously. I feel sorry that a Pravin Amre coaches Mumbai to 3 Ranjis championships in 5 years, but is not even remotely considered for the national team. What motivation would he have left?

Glad to see Sangakkara voicing my stand on the previous thread.