Governing bodies from two cricketing superpowers, Cricket Australia (CA) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) joined hands in 2017 to provide coaches of both countries an opportunity to strengthen their expertise.
The program was run by Cricket Australia at Brisbane's Bupa National Cricket Centre from 14 to 20 June 2018 with the aim of developing new cricket coaching skills and techniques.
20 players and coaches from four countries
"Out of the 20 coaches who took part in the course from 4 countries, 17 candidates were from Australia and one each from Sri Lanka and England. And I come from India," Sitanshu Kotak said.
Speaking with SBS Gujarati, Mr Kotak said he had been with the Gujarat Lions team in IPL, working with former Australian cricketer and the then-head coach of the team, Brad Hodge, when the latter suggested he attend the coaching course in Australia.
“The game changes with time and technology so after completing the first two levels of the coaching course I decided to go for the High performance level three, even though it was not a part of the collaborative project between two countries. I pursued it individually.”
Sitanshu Kotak with former Australian all-rounder Brad Hodge during his Australian visit. Source: Sitanshu Kotak
“I believe that if I can learn new skills and tactics and incorporate in my coaching, I can help my players sharpen their batting, bowling and fielding techniques.”
The course featured seminars, lectures and on-ground skill sessions conducted by people from the sports industry.
"Elite Coaching Manager of Cricket Australia Darren Holder had organized the course with a good mixture of theory and practical. We had an excellent session with the psychologist and learned bio-mechanics.
"It was a new learning curve for me; I learned how implementing small changes could help me get the best out of the team.”
Difference between Indian and Australian coaching style
"There is a huge difference between both the countries’ coaching style. In India, the batsman will learn the skill and techniques from scratch during actual coaching sessions. It is like spoon-feeding them.
"On the other hand, what I have learned during my course here in Australia is to give maximum freedom to the players. It will develop their inner skills which increases their mental strength to deal with tense situations in a match."
Meg Lanning, Elyse Villani, Adam Voges also hone their coaching skills
Australian Women's cricket team captain Meg Lanning, Elyse Villani, Men's cricket team player Adam Voges and another former Australian representative, bowler Clint Mckay also undertook a week-long course in the same batch as Sitanshu.
"I will work on the new approach and try to implement that into the game and submit a detailed report to Cricket Australia about the effects of my coaching style," said Mr Kotak.
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