Harare, July 26 (IANS) India’s interim batting coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar said rather than trying to emulate someone else, players competing for spots in the senior men’s team must stay true to themselves and focus on their own individual strengths as batters.

"Yes, there are a lot of people competing. And what's important is the basic fact that each player, if he wants to stake a claim to playing for India and staying there, needs to be himself. He can't be trying to be like somebody else.

“And he has to find his own strengths, find where he needs to improve, and work on those things. Be happy being in your own skin, rather than trying to prove something to somebody, just be your best. So that's what my whole role is," Kanitkar said in a pre-game chat with the broadcasters.

Kanitkar, who is also India U-19 men’s head coach, also highlighted the transition in coaching philosophy when moving from junior setups to the senior national side. “So I've been with the under-19s for quite some time now and it's been very rewarding. Not just on the field, but off the field as well, because you can make a positive impact on a lot of upcoming players.

“And it feels good. So when I transitioned from under-19 to this, the role changes because the players are very skilled already. They have a lot of experience. So you're talking about the smaller things, the finer things, rather than all the very, very basics.”

On the technical front, Kanitkar, who also served as a batting coach with the Indian women’s cricket team, stated that players at the senior level are expected to adapt quickly to diverse conditions, given their extensive experience of playing international and domestic cricket.

“They play a lot of cricket around the world in different conditions now. So technique is something that we look at when they are coming up the ranks. That's the under-19 cricket and thereon. By this time, we want players to be able to adapt to conditions, adjust their techniques as much as required. And that speaks well because the work that's gone before matters a lot in terms of technique.”

Praising the current young opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Kanitkar advised them to play with freedom and trust their skill sets. "Very good opening partnership. I think they just need to be themselves, you know. They have all the shots they need, they have the mindset, they have the skill. They just need to be themselves, express themselves," he concluded.

--IANS

nr/