Honesty, transparency earn a coach players' respect in dressing room: Sourav Ganguly on his SA20 stint

Bengaluru: "Earning players' respect by helping them get better and being honest and transparent with them is the most important thing," said former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who is enjoying his latest role as head coach of Pretoria Capitals in the ongoing SA20 league.

The Capitals' entry into the final of this season’s SA20 under Ganguly’s guidance validates his words as well.

"It's important to be honest, to be transparent. It's important that you create the right environment. Try and help the players to get better and earn their respect in the dressing room. That's what's important as a group," Ganguly said during the JioStar Press Room ahead of the SA20 Season 4 final between Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape on Sunday.

Ganguly said the vast experience of leading some star players during his tenure as India captain has come handy in his new job.

“I've captained a lot of great players and great players are very mature because they all want to do well at this level. I just be friends with them, tell them what the right picture is and try to show them that. At the end of the day players execute and not the coach.

"So as a coaching staff, you give them the best practice they want and keep them mentally in a good space. There are ups and downs in tournaments. So it's about getting the right message and making them understand that the only way to get better is by doing things over and over again in training," he added.

So, how does he connect with players in a dressing room environment as a coach?

For Ganguly, that process starts even before he formally joins the team ahead of a tournament.

"I used to be in touch with all of them. I met (Dewald) Brevis in India when he was touring with the South African team. I met him in Kolkata. We had dinner together, and spent some time with Keshav Maharaj (Capitals’ captain).

"After that I regularly kept in touch with them on the WhatsApp…even with other boys like Lungi, Lizard, Gideon, Cody, who were just coming out of injuries.

"They had a bit of time off before the start of the tournament, and I was worried whether they would recover in time because in a franchise, in the leagues, getting your best players fit is very important because the replacements are very rare.”

The 53-year-old said he wanted to develop that personal relationship even before he arrived in South Africa.

"So, I've been in touch with them, asking how they are and what they want and how I want them to play the competition. So, I developed a relationship at least a month before the start of the tournament.

"It's been good in the last 40 days. So, it's been a good relationship. As I said, it's not about the coach, it’s about the players. I've always tried to help these young boys, but it's their intensity and their want to become better that is the reason that we've played so well,” he elaborated.

Ganguly's spin tips for Brevis

Dewald Brevis has played a big role in carrying the Capitals to the title clash, scoring 269 runs with two fifties.

Brevis explained his learnings from Ganguly, particularly while playing against spin.

"The time we spend off the field, the chats we had, if I just reflect on the SA20 off the start, what the coach had planned for me, and it's nice to see finally it's going in that direction. It's small things like playing spin.

"Yes, I love facing any bowler, but with spin, like, for example, there is a different strength in that. But the coach mentioned to me, like using your feet down the track. We had a chat about that and that literally changed everything, as to exactly how to do that because the coach did it for years and I watched that video a lot," he said.

Ganguly urged his players to keep things simple in the final against two-time champions Sunrisers.

"Final is another game. But the key to getting finals and being the champion is about winning games. You have to play well to win matches and keep it simple. We have played Sunrisers in the group stages and in the Playoffs and now the final. So, the team hasn't changed.

"It's just the situation which has changed. And it's the same process that you win cricket matches. And that's what we look to do. Obviously, that comes with experience when you play over a long period of time. So for me, it's just another game where we'll have to play well to win," he said.