New India cricket coach Ravi Shastri plans to adopt a more hands-off approach to the role than his predecessor Anil Kumble, with the 55-year-old saying he has no intention of trying to act as a tutor to the players.
Kumble stepped down last month citing a breakdown in his relationship with skipper Virat Kohli, who according to media reports, resented the former captain’s ‘headmasterly’ methods.
Shastri was handed the coaching reins on Tuesday, a year after losing the job to Kumble, and the former all-rounder promised a fresh outlook to the job.
“At the highest level, cricketers are more or less settled,” Shastri told the Times of India newspaper.
“So it is more to do with working on their mental strength, helping build their confidence, helping them stay organised in their daily activities as against tinkering with their style of play.
“It’s not about ‘tutoring’ them about everything and telling them what and what not to do. There’s very little coaching at the highest level. It’s about fine-tuning and mentoring, about effective communication.”
Shastri, who has served as team director in the past, enjoys a good rapport with Kohli and said he had no issues with players having more freedom off the field.
“Why should I change anyone’s style, or for that matter, why should anyone change his own style of doing things?
“As long as there’s a level of commitment, the hard yards are being put in and results are showing, why shouldn’t there be fun?”
The Indian cricket board has also named former seamer Zaheer Khan as the team’s bowling consultant, while Rahul Dravid was appointed as batting consultant for overseas test series.
The first challenge for the new coaching set-up will begin later this month when India tour Sri Lanka for three Tests, five one-dayers and a sole Twenty20 international.

Thakur files apology before SC
Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Anurag Thakur submitted an unconditional apology to the Supreme Court yesterday. The apex court had on July 7 directed Thakur to file an unconditional and unequivocal apology by July 14 and had warned of contempt proceedings if the former BCCI chief did not comply. 
“I, Anurag Singh Thakur, S/o Prem Kumar Dhumal, aged about 42 years, resident of 14, Janpath, New Delhi and presently at Himachal Pradesh do hereby solemnly affirm and declare as under. I am the respondent in the above mentioned matter and am conversant with the facts and circumstances of the case and am competent to depose to the same. I humbly submit that it was never the intention of the deponent to undermine the majesty of this Hon’ble Court and since unintentionally some kind of misinformation or miscommunication has occurred, I unhesitatingly tender my unconditional and unequivocal apology to this Honourable Court,” Thakur said in his application to the court.
The issue is due to come up for hearing before the apex court today. Thakur will also make an appearance at today’s proceedings as the court had directed him to be present in person. During the hearing on July 7, a bench comprising Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud had directed Thakur to file a one-page “unequivocal and unqualified” apology as they felt that the apology offered by him earlier was not unqualified. The Supreme Court by its January 2, 2017, order while sacking Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke as President and Secretary respectively of the country’s apex cricketing body had issued notices asking them why perjury and contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them. The two officials of the cricket board had earned the ire of the court for not candidly telling it that they had asked for a letter from the ICC that the appointment of a CAG nominee on the board amounted to government interference in its affairs.