India’s new head coach Anil Kumble has reintroduced an old method that was used by former Indian coach John Wright. In his first preparatory camp, Kumble reintroduced the ‘buddy system’, one was first employed in Indian cricket by John Wright. It’s revealed that during India’s tour of Australia in 2001, Wright assigned a partner to each member of the team, usually pairing a batsman with a bowler.
Talking about it, India’s all-rounder, Stuart Binny told ESPNCricinfo, “It’s about the senior guys communicating with the junior guys.” It’s probably the simplest way to define the concept, which is widely used in corporate world. It is believed to enhance communication between players and team members.
“Today we’ve paired up – each guy’s paired with another guy; it’s called a ‘buddy programme’. So it’s me and Rohit [Sharma] paired up together. Ro has played a lot of one-day cricket and Test cricket, and for me to share thoughts with him, that’s the way forward, I think. If I can help Rohit by 2%, then maybe he can help me with 30% – that’s what we’re looking to do today. It’s about helping each other through situations,” Binny added.
“It’s about me and Rohit communicating about our net sessions, about areas that I bowl [for example]. In the past, many guys held back because you didn’t want to say something to upset another guy, but we’ve been pushed in a direction to communicate what we want, especially with our games. There’s a lot you can learn from someone else, even by telling him that, I think this is the way forward. Communication is the key, I think. That’s what we’re trying to breed,” Binny went on to explain.
