"Bring In Someone Who Understands...": Harbhajan Singh Demands Separate T20 Coach For Team India

India won the inaugural edition of T20 World Cup in the year 2008. Since then, the side has entered the final of the event only once in 2014 where it lost to Sri Lanka. Barring the two editions, India have struggled to live up to the expectations at the global event. In the latest edition that took place in 2022, India were eliminated in the semi-final after being outplayed by England by 10 wickets. Amid the struggles of the Indian men's cricket team, former spinner Harbhajan Singh has suggested that the team could appoint a designated T20 coach, saying that another coach could take the responsibility of the team in other formats.

"Yes, you have two captains, so you can have two coaches. Why not? Someone whose planning is different. Like England has done with Brendon McCullum. Someone like Virender Sehwag or Ashish Nehra who worked with Gujarat Titans and Hardik Pandya won his first tournament (IPL) as captain. So, bring someone who understands the concept of T20 and demands of the game.

The coach knows that focus is on T20 cricket. Say if Ashish Nehra is the T20 coach, then he knows that his job is to make the Indian team champions in the T20 format, and Rahul Dravid knows he has to work on how the Indian team can be No.1 in Tests and ODIs," Harbhajan said during an Idea Exchange session of The Indian Express.

After their disappointment in 2022 T20 World Cup, reports have emerged that Team India is looking at the pool of young players for the 2024 world event that is scheduled to take place in the West Indies and United States. Reports also state that the team management is eyeing Hardik Pandya as the long-term skipper in the shortest format for India.