Watching former India captain and opener Sunil Gavaskar at the Indian team nets on Tuesday morning in all whites — those given to sentimentality and nostalgia had a lump in their throats — made one wonder what coach John Wright's role would be now.
The cricket board has appointed Gavaskar —who came here on Monday night, almost on the eve of the first India-Australia Test — as consultant to the Indian team for the series. His new job, according to Gavaskar himself, is to help the players sort out their problems and be available for any advice "they want".
Welcome as Gavaskar must be in the Indian dressing room, one is not too sure what it means for the future of Indian cricket. Such is his stature and profile that once he is with the team, it is bound to affect Wright's working as a coach.
"Wright is the coach and Gavaskar, like many other players in the past, will be helping us out," said skipper Sourav Ganguly at his press conference.
But Gavaskar is not like many other players and his being there can mean only one thing: Wright is being told that his time has come.
{{/usCountry}}But Gavaskar is not like many other players and his being there can mean only one thing: Wright is being told that his time has come.
{{/usCountry}}Gavaskar made it clear he was going to be with the team only for this series, but his very presence, even if for a short while, might reduce Wright's role from that of a coach to that of a man who will only conduct nets now.
If that is the case, it is not fair to the man who in the past three years has changed the entire work ethic of the Indian team. He deserves better.