Indian Cricket's Future Bright With Gradual Transition Plan, Says Vikram Rathour

Vikram Rathour, the outgoing batting coach, acknowledges that India faces a challenging transition period soon. However, he believes that with the current talent pool, the team can manage this phase effectively if it happens gradually and in a controlled manner.

Rathour, who has served as both a national selector and coach, is confident about India's depth in cricket. He emphasises the importance of a gradual transition to ensure smooth progress. "We have many talented players coming through the system," he said.

Rathour is optimistic that by the time Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retire from all formats, younger players will be well-prepared to take over. He mentioned Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Yashasavi Jaiswal, and Dhruv Jurel as potential future stars.

"In ODIs, experienced players like Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Hardik Pandya are ready to step up," Rathour added. He believes these players will form the backbone of Indian cricket for the next decade.

The recently concluded series against Zimbabwe provided insights into India's future T20 team. However, Rathour noted that there are still a few years left for Test and ODI cricket to reach that point.

Rinku Singh's Potential

Rathour sees great potential in Rinku Singh as a Test batter. "When I see him bat in nets, I can't find any technical reasons why Rinku cannot be a successful Test batter," he said. Despite being known as a T20 finisher, Rinku's first-class record shows promise.

"He (Rinku) is also blessed with a very calm temperament. So all these factors indicate that if given an opportunity, he can develop into a Test cricketer," Rathour said.

During his tenure, Rathour often faced questions about Kohli's lean patch post-2019 World Cup. He maintained it was a phase every player goes through. "There were no technical issues that we worked on specifically during this phase," he stated.

"The constant messaging to him was to keep working hard and believe in his methods. Eventually he came back stronger and an even better player," Rathour added.

Rahul gave us space and honest feedback

Rathour shares a long-standing relationship with Rahul Dravid since their Test debuts in 1996. This bond helped them work effectively together as part of the coaching staff.

"Rahul is the best coach that I have worked with, who gives you lots of space to work, is open to suggestions and will provide you an honest feedback," Rathour revealed.

One of their initial discussions focused on changing the batting template in T20 cricket to bring more intent and aggression. This approach led to significant improvements in India's batting strategy.

A key example is Axar Patel addressing the need for a reliable batting option at number eight. "That made a massive difference and gave the batters in top order lot more freedom to bat," Rathour explained.

Axar's uncomplicated technique allowed him to express himself fearlessly when given opportunities. This change provided much-needed flexibility and confidence within the team’s batting lineup.