IPL's Bangalore Royal Challengers coach Ray Jennings has made it clear that he will not have any qualms to dump non-performers.
NEW DELHI: Serving notice to ageing players like Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis, IPL's Bangalore Royal Challengers coach Ray Jennings has made it clear that he will not have any qualms to dump non-performers.
Jennings said senior players, including Dravid and South African Kallis, failed to live up to the expectations in the inaugural IPL season but will have to perform if they want to be in the team for the second season.
"The older guys worry me. If the top guys don't perform, it's time to move on. I don't look at the names but the performances on the field. Name is one thing but I need a guy who makes the owner proud on the field," he said.
The new coach said he would meet Dravid soon and sort out the "best role" the former India captain can play in the team.
"I met him (Dravid) for a day in May. We will sit together again and see the best role he can play. I want the best for the team.
"If Dravid is not the best captain, between us we will have to work it out. If he (Dravid) is the best guy to open the batting, that's where he must bat," Jennings told 'Cricinfo'.
The former South Africa coach also lashed out at those who picked the team during the IPL auction this year, and blamed the non-performance by the senior players for the disappointing show in the inaugural edition.
"When you picked, you would have known that Dravid, Kumble and Kallis might retire soon; the whole side might be retired in three years' time.
"The team lacked energy, commitment and skills. I will point the fingers at the senior players. They are the one who must have run that type of the culture in the side," Jennings said.
"I am going to ask the players one question: are they a Test team or are they cricketers? If they are cricketers, let's go out and whip a few backsides. The old guys have to understand the challenges. All the guys have taken a hiding and the owner is upset," he said.
Jennings also agreed with team owner Vijay Mallya who had openly criticised the composition of the team, tagged as a Test side.
"IPL is quick and intense for six weeks. They (the seniors) worry me from the point of injury and motivation levels. I am not surprised at the quality of the Test players (selected last year) but the balance of the ages. In three years, many could be retired. To me, that doesn't make sense.
"A turnaround, by getting the right players in the right positions may take some time to complete," he said.
Jennings also warned that players from abroad including South Africans can't take "the IPL as a paid vacation", and said he would work to gel the players as a unit.
"The players have to understand that they can't relax else they shouldn't take their salary. Kallis and Boucher have worked with me before and they know I won't take nonsense in that area.
"I am not coming here to see the Indian guys and the foreigners going separate ways. They have to work together. I am going to make sure that I am in charge of a single unit. It's not just about hitting balls, it about mixing with people; it's about how they conduct themselves off the field."
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