Dhoni has freedom to express himself, it'll be good for team: John Wright

In a free-wheeling conversation, former India coach and current talent hunter with Mumbai Indians, 62-year-old New Zealander John Wright tells G Krishnan that current India captain Virat Kohli has big shoes to fill

It has been 12 years since you left as India coach. Does it seem like only recently?

The older you get, the faster time goes. It seems a fair amount of time has passed between now and then. I came back in 2013 to work with Mumbai Indians (as head coach), that's been great. That has been a wonderful experience to come back here and be part of IPL, which I really enjoy. Now, my role in identifying talent, watching Indian domestic cricket in all forms, going to the grounds, meeting the players and the administrators. I really enjoy and makes you realise how lucky you are to have that opportunity.

What T20 talent can you spot from first-class cricket?

It all starts with bat and ball, how people move, the feeling. It starts with the wide view. Generally, with some players you don't know, you start with an open mind. You watch the game and the way they move, their balance. It is not hard to see talent. You build up a knowledge. Over the years of watching cricket, you notice it might be just a shot, a run-up, someone catching the ball and you go from there. Real talent is not too hard to spot.

Yuvraj Singh and Parthiv Patel made their India debut when you were India coach. Now they have made comebacks to ODIs and Test, respectively, after a long gap. Happy to see them in form still?

Because you know players and worked with them, you always want them to do well. Whoever they are and whatever they are doing. It is lovely to see them still playing, and playing well. I knew the quality of them when they were young. Now, with more mature age, they have not lost their desire, enthusiasm and love for cricket. Both had their challenges. We all know the struggles Yuvi has faced and overcome. That is just very special. It is not just a sporting story but a wonder story of human spirit.

I met Parthiv when he arrived at Lord's when we were winning the Natwest final (2002). He arrived with the four Test players and he looked so young. He was 17. I have kept in touch with Parthiv regularly over the years as he is part of Mumbai Indians. It has just been one of those relationships. I know how smart a cricketer he is and how smart he is as a captain. I watched Gujarat the last three or four years. He is someone who's cricketing opinion I value enormously. It is good to see players you worked with do well. You are really pleased for them.

Another player who debuted under you was MS Dhoni. How have you seen him grow to the stature that he is now?

My early experience with MS was at a camp and he was always a very good listener. His first innings I can recall was he got 148 in Vizag (vs Pakistan, ODI). He made someone like (Virender) Sehwag look rather pedestrian, which took a lot of doing. He had great game awareness, awareness of his leadership abilities and not only his cricketing abilities. His sense of timing in making decisions, whatever they are, have been great. I am looking forward to watching him play. He is still enjoying his cricket. He can enjoy it now more as he has got the freedom to express himself. It will be very good for the team.

And his successor Virat Kohli...

The coach and captain or anyone involved, Virat has the right people around the team. Hope he will leave a little better when he finishes than when he found it. He has got big shoes to fill, he has made a wonderful start. I love his emphasis on fitness. He looks so sharp and full of energy. The structure is really good, right from the selection, through to Rahul Dravid and Paras Mhambrey in the U-19 team. He is fortunate to have Rahul to interact with in 'A' team and, of course, Anil Kumble. It is a very strong structure and hopefully people understand and value it to keep that quality going. It will only be very good for Indian cricket.

Having played a fair amount of cricket in England, and coached there too, do you think Kohli will be judged by what he does there, or doesn't, when India tour there next year?

Obviously, people will be watching. Am sure Virat will be very motivated to change it. He will be working on those sorts of things. Obviously, England coming here and getting hammered, they want to give the same punishment to India next year. It is going to make for an interesting series. I will be looking forward to watch that series personally because I hope India does really well there.

The thing is, every year, you have the rankings and what not. People can make various judgements. Great cricketers have career over 10-15 years, they have that consistency throughout. There are ups and downs in cricket. What makes a player great is the ability to go out there day in and day out, and just have that level of skill, the technique, and ability to consistently deliver. Champions are consistent. Virat has set his standard and wants to keep it. That's why numbers will tell a story. They always do.

Kumble said the other day that fitness in his playing days were individual preferences. How was it in your days as India coach?

I had Andrew Leipus in the side. We were trying to get the team fitter. You want players to have stamina, particularly fast bowlers. It was not just an individual responsibility. I thought it was an area we could improve on. We did the bleep test. Eventually, after about a year, Adrian le Roux joined us. Between Andrew and Adrian, they were very, very good. Fitness became part of our culture. It can be a valuable took as long as you understand that skills were important.

Colin Cowdrey (legendary England captain) told me when I started fitness in Kent, 'It is a good thing, John. Remember for every hour you spend in the gym, you spend three hours in the nets because cricket is skill based'. I look now at the athleticism and fielding throughout the Indian system has improved so much. Obviously, T20 was not around those days. T20 is an enormous part. Running between wickets, accuracy, fielding, wides and no balls, they are really important in T20. Fitness is big part of cricket but still skill is the most important.

How do you view Indian cricket now? Areas that you think it's lacking...

It is the same for many countries. A lot of countries are comfortable playing at home. They try to keep the arsenal for results at home. That's fine. You are used to the conditions. The thing about cricket teams are that they are judged on World Cups and series wins at home. Some of the most satisfying results are wins away from home, when you go to someone's backyard and give them a hiding. That's always a challenge for any team. Whether it is India or any other team.

Your attack has some depth in pace bowling, which is important. You've got spinners, though they have found it difficult overseas. Batting has not changed. I don't think it has changed even before I arrived. You only have to look at some of the great efforts of someone like Sunil Gavaskar. He batted so brilliantly against the West Indies home and away. And Kapil Dev. Those sort of guys. Wherever they have played, they have succeeded. Same with Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar. They have got standards, they've got to get back the team to where Dhoni had in the 2000s, win some World Cups. That's what they have to do.

Mahela Jayawardene is Mumbai Indians' new coach. What does he bring to the table?

We all are very excited to have him in Mumbai. He is a very intelligent person and a cricketer. The great thing is he is still playing T20 cricket around the world. He is nearing the end of his T20 playing career. He is very contemporary. He is right up to date with T20 cricket. I am sure that the boys will enjoy his company. He has a lot of knowledge, has a long history of success in all formats. He will bring a very current approach, right up to date with the trends and the way T20 is played. Am sure he is going to be very successful.

"He (Dhoni) had great game awareness, awareness of his leadership abilities and not only his cricketing abilities. His sense of timing in making decisions, whatever they are, have been great. I am looking forward to watching him play"
–John Wright on MS Dhoni

"Virat has the right people around the team. Hope he will leave a little better when he finishes than when he found it. He has got big shoes to fill, he has made a wonderful start. He looks so sharp and full of energy."
–John Wright on Virat Kohli