Dhoni’s way of finishing the game is very different from mine: Bevan

Despite having a tight training and match schedule, Michael Bevan, former Australian cricketer and coach of Madurai Super Giants of the Tamil Nadu Premier League, took time out for a casual outing with his team. He caught up with the players over crispy dosa and hot coffee. He even tried his hand at making dosa. Once done with all that, he sat down for a quick chat with the media.Excerpts...
How have things been with the Madurai team so far?
Till now, we’ve had couple of practice sessions and a practice matches. It has given me the opportunity to look at the players and also discuss what we want to achieve as a team in the tournament. As a team, we wanna play some tough cricket and that’s all we are focusing on right now. The key is to improve our game throughout the tournament. If we manage to do that, we have a good chance as any other team to win the cup.
Has coaching been a natural progression from your batting career?
I don’t think my responsibility as a coach has been a natural progression from my career as a batsman. I think as a coach, the responsibilities are quite different — managing the players, selecting the team, working out solutions if there are problems within the team, etc. Also, a coach needs to know a lot about the player’s game — what it is that he wants to achieve, what stops him from achieving it, and so on.
You are going to miss Arun Karthick (captain of the team) for a few games since he is playing another tourney...
Arun is a very good player. And that’s the reason why he is playing in the Duleep trophy right now. He is a big asset for the team. But I think any team’s success depends on collective performance. So, we are also looking forward to everyone in the team performing.
Your were one of the best finishers during your days. Has the approach of finishers changed over the years?
It is a different approach by everyone. I know so many great finishers. MS Dhoni is one of them. But his style is different from how used to do it. I am sure that Mike Hussey had a different finishing style from what I had. I was a bit of a planner and calculated well on how to finish a game. But that may not work for everyone. I somehow played the role of a finisher quite naturally.
Tell us about your cultural and cricketing experiences in India...
I have been fortunate to visit many countries including India as part of my career. To tell you, many things in India are exactly opposite to that of Australian culture. So, every visit to India is a new experience by itself. There are things that are great here, but there are also really frustrating times. All that adds up to my experience here.
Do you find language a barrier when communicating with the players?
Generally, if I speak slowly, most of the guys pick it up. If someone still finds it hard, I rely on other players to explain things to them. I have coached in India several times and language has never been a problem. Language is a much smaller problem when compared to the cultural aspects.