Coaching for India It is not often that the Board of Control for Cricket in India does the right thing for the right reason. The factors that influenced the BCCI to appoint Kapil Dev as coach of the Indian team for two years will never completely be known. But of this there can be no manner of doubt that they have appointed one of the best persons for the job. In fact, there are only two persons who should be considered for the position: one is Kapil Dev and the other is Sunil Gavaskar. It will remain a mystery why the BCCI chose other minor players without first approaching Kapil Dev and Gavaskar. The appointment of Kapil Dev can be read as a sign that for once the BCCI has put the interests of Indian cricket above all other considerations. This is worth recommending in a body which even though it is supposed to govern Indian cricket is more devoted to greed, faction fighting and petty politicking. Disunity within the Indian cricket team is always commented upon. What is not noted so often is the fact that this lack of unity is a reflection of factions within the BCCI and is at times fomented by groups within the BCCI. The BCCI is seen as, and even perhaps sees itself as, a large patronage distributing body. In the past, merit has had little to do with its choices. The decision to appoint Kapil Dev is thus a surprise, albeit a welcome one. The position of the coach has come to be endowed with a special importance as cricket has become more professionalized and specialized. Cricket is no longer the leisurely gentlemanly activity it used to be. It is fiercely competitive and it has huge sums of money involved as prizes and as sponsorships. Players have to be more fit and athletic; they need to be motivated; and teams have to play according to a gameplan. In all these spheres, the coach?s presence and contribution are crucial. There is a good case to consider the coach as the real captain of the team. A good coach has not only to be a good player himself but he also must have a sound knowledge of all departments of the game. Moreover, he needs to have a cricketing brain. The importance that is assigned to the coach is seen from the fact that almost every side has a good former cricketer as a coach. Kapil Dev fits the bill. He will straightaway command the respect of the players because of his achievements. What remains to be tested is Kapil Dev?s abilities as a task master and communicator. As a captain he led from the front by example. He cannot do this as a coach. The other worry concerns the extent to which the BCCI will give him a free hand. Kapil Dev should ensure that he will take orders from nobody save his own cricketing brain and experience.