Cricket is a foreign game and we Indians are not comfortable with cricket in its entirety, especially in terms of the sportsmanship and team spirit required. Forget the spectators, even players sometimes do not seem to appreciate the nuances of the rules or the sanctity of the umpire’s decisions.

Cricket is a gentleman’s game and Indian spectators do not generally appreciate the good performances of the opposing team. During the second Indo-Pak test match at Kolkata, the whole stadium fell into silence every time a Pakistani player hit a four or took a wicket. We also cannot countenance the bad form of a particular player in the Indian side. There are instances of mobs attacking the homes of players who played indifferently. For us, winning is the only thing that matters.

It was Greg Chappell, a foreign coach, who is reported to have presented to our players the concept of forging a wholesome team. We still seem to be unsure of the concept. We are individualistic and anarchistic — which goes against building a ‘team spirit’.

Our World Cup performances early this year caused a great deal of heat. Greg Chappell was accused of resting Sourav Ganguly. The ranting against Chappell came mainly from Bengalis of all professions and from all geographical locations. Even some Bengali parliamentarians did their bit. At the same time, few TV channels bothered to focus on Ganguly. A Bengali player on the bench did not excite their sympathy. This Indian characteristic of parochialism and regionalism is another reason why India needs a foreign coach.

Indian coaches would be subjected to the pushes and pulls of regions and castes. A coach would be criticised for allegedly showing favouritism to players from his region. If, however, an Indian coach disregards this

Indian trait and supports players from other regions, he would also come under attack. Remember that assault on Chappell by a young man at Bhubaneswar because no one from Orissa had been included in the Indian team? We cannot escape regional attitudes completely, but at least we should ensure that they play as limited a role as possible in our cricket.

A foreign coach comes infused with the team spirit. He is expected to know the latest training techniques. Best of all, for him all Indians are equal. These characteristics cannot be expected of any Indian coach — harsh though this may sound. Only a foreign coach can instill the spirit of playing as a team in cricketers and put the boys through new training techniques.

If this process of training and team building is handled well, there is no reason why Team India cannot reach the finals in the next World Cup.