Getting used to SOP is the biggest challenge: Kumble

Anil Kumble wasn't particularly comfortable with his face mask when he settled into a chair by the pavilion at the Just Cricket Academy. He kept it on nonetheless.

After all, it was the only the second time in close to six months he had ventured out of his home. Last time, he was creating awareness about masks in a promotional event. This time, he watched over five Kings XI Punjab cricketers having a bat and a bowl.

KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, K Gowtham and J Suchith were in attendance, while Kumble began his delayed journey as Punjab's latest coach. An all Karnataka affair on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

Deccan Herald caught up with the former Indian coach as he opened about Punjab's chances, new norms, SOPs, adaptation essentials for cricketers, coaching challenges, and more.

Excerpts:

What are Kings XI Punjab's chances this season, and how will the five Karnataka players in the team contribute?

The team has always been good. In a T20 competition, it’s always difficult to say which is a good team, every team is equally balanced. It’s just about getting everyone together to perform and peak at the right time. I have worked with some of these players in the past in different capacities, but having five Karnataka players, KL (Rahul) being the leader, he has been with the Kings over the last two years. It’s a lot easier for him as well, having played with these four guys for the most of his career, there’s a comfort factor. Other than that, everyone is in the starting line-up. Because of Covid-19 many haven’t played at all. It’s important to build up their skill levels, fitness levels, and ease them into getting match-ready.

What are the challenges of playing overseas? Also, how different is your approach as a coach at a time like this?

Most importantly, one needs to look at the anxiety factor. Everybody is anxious, they want to play, they want to go out there. So, you have to pull them back. It has been four months of not doing enough to put in your 100 percent straightaway from day one. You have to gradually build it up. The advantage we have is that we have a good support team, they understand these situations. It’s going to be tough for the players, getting into match readiness, that’s the most important thing. We play a few practice games and that should give them some confidence and help with the anxiety. There’s always this thought ‘am I ready to play the game?’, it takes a bit of time, I think once the team is together it naturally happens.

Could you elaborate on your role?

It's mainly getting used to the SOP itself. That’ll be the biggest challenge. The health and safety of the players and support team will be the most important. We have to make sure everyone follows the SOP. Being inside the bubble is going to be tough. We are trying to build some fun activities to get them out of that space mentally. At the same time, making sure that each one gets what they want to be ready for matches. That’s why we are going a bit early. There’s a six-day quarantine as we land, which means six days we have to sit in a room, not see each other. We are working around how we can engage everyone during this period. We have to take it one step at a time. We can’t really look too far ahead. Try and play for what is there on the day. You don’t want to make too many changes because the surface is changing. You’ll have to make some changes, but not too many. That’s important in T20, sort of align players to their roles and define those roles early in the tournament.

Do you wish you had picked a different squad since the tournament was moved to UAE?

You generally pick a squad and plan for every eventuality. Try and plan where you enough experience, enough youth and also an X-factor, someone who hasn’t played much and who you can throw in there and see if things work out. You need all of that when you build a squad. In a squad of 25 players, you should be able to manage irrespective of where you’re playing. Ultimately in a T20, I don’t think anyone should worry about where you’re playing and what surface you’re playing on, you should just make sure that you have a squad lean on and get someone to fill the spaces. I am happy with the squad.

Do these new norms add an extra element to preparation apart form players being rusty?

Yeah, I think it’s a combination of all of that. All of us have been sitting, not venturing out for the last four-six months. It has been a challenge. The good thing is that we’re out there now and we have an opportunity in an environment that is safe and where we’re minimising the risk of infection. At best we can only minimise the risk. It’s new to all of us, as it is for athletes, but as sportsmen, you tend to adapt to any situation you’re in. You need to not only look at cricket, but you also need to look at their space and how we can manage that, keep their mind fresh. It’s a long period. We’re going there three and a half weeks before the tournament, this is the first time an IPL team has got together that early. Although all the players won’t be there because of their international commitments, most of them will be there - 75 percent will be there.

Did you keep in touch with some of the players, at least the domestic ones, during the lockdown?

Sort of. On and off. We didn’t know if the IPL was going to happen. Just to check if they’re safe… we have a group so we keep seeing what they’re doing. We were monitoring things like training, but other than that we weren't looking to get them ready for an IPL. Once the IPL was announced, we got them to just be ready, aligning towards playing again. It takes time to get ready. It has been a long time for all of us. Everyone is looking forward to playing again.

When does the entire team come together?

Initially, it’s only the 16 players from India, a couple of them are joining us directly in Dubai. Other than that all of us should be there by the first week of September when the CPL guys, the Australian guys, and the English guys come over.

What will be the biggest challenge as a player and as a coach this season?

As a player, it would be to get into your groove quickly and to maintain that. It’s going to be a long tournament, and we know that the IPL has its ups and downs, every team goes through that. You just have to keep calm and not worry about what happens to the result. If it’s a good result we tend to react to it, if it’s a bad result we tend to overreact. Keeping a balance will be the key. Having that experience, I think I’ll be able to maintain that balance. Having said that, it’s important the players feel comfortable going through that process. Everybody who has played in the IPL knows that it’s not going to be smooth sailing. You just need to be prepared and focus on that particular game. From the coach's perspective, managing the bubble, ensuring players’ safety. It’s a long duration. Some times you will have players who you’ll need to egg on. It’s not easy being in a bubble. We have to be prepared to ensure they’re in a happy space.

Does this change the way you coach them? Perhaps, show more sensitivity?

You need to understand them individually. This is the first time, I am meeting most of them, at least the younger lot from Kings XI. When I meet them in Dubai it'll be the first time I’ll be interacting with them personally. I think in this kind of scenario, it’s about managing life and managing their mental space rather than cricket, because cricket automatically once you go out to the field, it’ll come to you. The rest of it will be critical, communication will be key. We're also planning some activities in those six days when all of us will be sitting in our rooms. We will find a way of engaging them and keeping them happy. We have to see this as a family for the three months we’re together. I know we’re leaving our families behind so there will obviously be some thought about families back home, but you will have to manage all of that. The players need to be made to feel like they’re part of a family.

Will the performance of the top order be the key for Kings XI?

In a T20 game, your top order will determine how you go about the game. Having played in Sharjah and in the UAE, knowing that the tournament is only on three grounds spread over two months, it’s not going to be only about big-hitting. It’s going to be about sensible cricket as well. You may have to look at a collection phase at some point. We have the squad to manage that. There is enough experience. It’s not always sixes and fours in a T20, more so in this tournament. Perhaps you will require players who will get the singles and twos. It’s a combination of that. It won’t just be a big-hitting IPL.

Will the saliva ban impact the performance of bowlers?

It hasn’t happened in a Test match so I don’t see why it should affect a T20. In Tests, we have seen a result in all the games so far so I don’t see a reason why it should affect a T20. Yes, as a player, even for me, it’s normal for my hand to go to my face so that’s something some of the players will have to undo. That’s the first thing I have to keep an eye on and tell the players not to. We have enough time to understand the SOPs on the ground. That’ll be the biggest challenge. To repeat a new practice until you break the habit, undo what you have been doing for a long, long time. But I am sure players are just happy to go out and play.

Has the quality of spin in world cricket gone down, and do you think the IPL has some part to play?

I don’t think so. It is challenging. It’s very different for a spinner now. The bats are better, they take on the spinners, big hitters, they don’t mind going over the top. As a spinner, you need to understand all of that. The bottom line is your thought process. That’s my role, as a spinner, to encourage spinners to get wickets. I think spinners are the match winners in T20 cricket. We have seen that over the years. If you can pick up wickets, it doesn’t matter if you get hit. You’re anyway going to get hit at some point. It’s a matter of having the thought process to pick up wickets. That’s what I would like to encourage my spinners to do.