Chappell is the best coach I’ve come across, says sports psychologist Webster

GRENADA: In the summer of 1976, the West Indies team returned home after being beaten 5-1 by Australia. For Clive Lloyd, who was the captain, the disappointment was acute. As he sat in a bar with Dr Rudi Webster, he formulated the plan that would ensure West Indies’ cricket supremacy for the next 10 years. “I want this West Indies team to be the best for the next 10 years,” said Lloyd.

Webster thought that Lloyd, who had had a couple of drinks, was joking. But then the former West Indian skipper went about laying out his plan of domination. “The first thing I will do is to get players who are fit. In Australia, the players would get tired in the last session and make mistakes. So, if they are not fit, they won’t get in. Secondly, they should be able to field — in any position. If they get into the West Indies team, they should have good technique and be prepared to work on it. The last aspect was the mind.”

Lloyd, at that point, had two options. Either to wallow in self-pity or to forget all that had happened and make a new beginning. He chose the latter and that’s what Webster believes is the way to go for the Indian team too.

The celebrated psychologist, who has also worked with the likes of Greg Norman, Garry Sobers and Brian Lara among other teams and sportsmen, was scheduled to spend some time with the Indian team before he was down with illness.

Dr Rudi Webster, the celebrated psychologist, was scheduled to spend some time with the Indian team before he was struck down with illness. His past stint with the Men in Blue has given him some insights into the challenge faced by Indian cricket.

“I honestly believe that in places like West Indies and India we need to reallocate resources and give priority to the development of the game. So that by the time they reach a certain level, they would have the knowledge and the exposure to then go on and get the best out of themselves,” said Webster.

He believes that the India team is unique in the sense that there is no team in the world that is under as much pressure. Disagreements and differences of opinion, he believes, are part of team culture.

“Conflict is very important if it is constructive. Because, this kind of conflict energises the group and it focuses on a common objective. But you need a common objective and the priorities should be drawn carefully. The players don’t have to love each other. They don’t have to be bosom buddies. But if they respect each other and have the ability to help each other, then they will do well. Conflict is sometimes a great motivator. The problem with conflict is, 8 out of 10 times it is destructive.”

Webster feels power struggle between captain and coach spells big trouble. “I believe it is the captain, who has the responsibility at the end. He is a general on the field. The coach is there to help him, to clarify his thinking and to create the right environment. The relationship between the coach and the captain is critical and they got to be singing the same tune. It is like symbiotic relationship.”

Webster thinks coaching is a workman’s job. “You will find the best coaches and managers who are not stars. Take Sobers for example. He was a genius. Sometimes he doesn’t understand why other players couldn’t hit the ball the way he he could, or bowl as he could. Because it was so easy and natural to him. He would say ‘hey man you have to pick the bat and hit the ball there’, not knowing that the fellow just can’t do it.”

Understanding the culture of the people, he says, is critical. One of the problems that we have in Caribbean is that we have an Australian coach, who didn’t play any cricket or had any experience of any cricket. But he had little bit of success in Australia with Queensland and what he wanted to do was to transplant the Queensland culture into the West Indies and it was a total disaster. If the coach doesn’t understand the way his boys think, if he doesn’t understand their religion and culture then he is at a tremendous disadvantage.”

Webster’s association with Greg Chappell goes back to the latter’s playing days and from that point on, the Australian’s talents have found his continued respect.

“Chappell is a great coach and the best coach I have come across. His knowledge of the game is very unique. Great coaches tell you how to do things and also most importantly, why you have to do it and sometimes the why is more important than the how. I am very impressed with his all-round knowledge of the game. The Australians are very direct and that’s the way he has been brought up. He calls a spade a spade. But I am bit disappointed he didn’t continue because I don’t care who you are but a coach cannot achieve much in two years. And especially with a team that is in transition and has a little bit of infighting and political battles. With stuff like that it is very, very difficult.”

So what really ails this team? “They are technically very good and their skills are high. They have the support of a billion people. That’s the thing, if you disappoint one billion people who support you, they can be your most vicious critics. It is a double-edged sword. And I think this is the thing that causes lots of pressure. Not just the pressure but the expectations of the fans. And sometimes that pressure can be too big, even for the greatest of players.”

But more than anything Webster believes that the Indian fans and the BCCI need to be more patient.

“You might come here to Grenada and might not see the sun as it is blocked by dark clouds. Now if you want to enjoy the sunshine, you don’t build another sun and put it in front of the clouds. All you have to do is wait for the dark clouds to go away and sunshine to come through. The potential for improvement in the Indian team in enormous. I know people are very hard at them at the moment but I tell you that the potential is there.”