Laxman Backs Coaching Saff, Wants Rohit To Open In World Cup

Former India batsman VVS laxman has backed India's present coaching staff to remain in charge until next the 2015 World Cup. The 39-year-old said undergoing wholesale changes just six months prior to the World Cup is not a good move.

"I am hoping the BCCI will stick to the support staff we had for the one-dayers till the World Cup. The tournament is only six months away so there isn't enough time to chop and change," Laxman said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo.

"I have worked with Ravi Shastri in 2007 when we toured Bangladesh and he is a very positive person, immense knowledge of the game, he was himself a great leader for Mumbai and he captained India in one Test that India won convincingly. I am glad Bharat Arun and R Sridhar got their opportunity to coach at the highest level because they have a good track record at the India A and Under-19 level, and Sanjay Bangar because of his recent success with Kings XI Punjab."

Laxman also gave his insights about India's mixed tour of England and said that important tours such as this will hold the players in good stead for the future. "I have always regarded tours of South Africa, Australia and England as important for a team to become better," he said. "I am sure the Indian players have learned, the way they bounced back showed a lot of character and definitely they will turn into much better players."

Speaking about the current generation of Indian cricketers, Laxman said the players are keen to learn and this was visible during the England tour.

"I know for a fact that players like [Virat] Kohli, [Ajinkya] Rahane, [​Cheteshwar] Pujara, [Shikhar] Dhawan take a lot of pride in what they do in Tests and more so in overseas conditions. You've seen the way M Vijay adapted to the Test series, he didn't play his natural game, played with a lot of controlled aggression. So they focus on Tests and I don't agree that they don't give enough emphasis to Tests."

Laxman also opined that even though the ODI series win against England was a comprehensive one, India still needed to focus on their death bowling and the opening combination to become a force to reckon with.

"In the T20 they gave away 50 runs in the last three overs, which is a lot, so I think these two issues are a problem. Also the way India start with their batting will be important because of two new balls and conditions suiting the fast bowlers," he said. "Luckily for India they are playing a tri-series before the World Cup and that too against the Australians in their own backyard. It will be a good experience for the players to get used to the conditions."

Rahane, who replaced the injured Rohit Sharma in the ODIs had a good outing with 192 runs in four matches and many believe he can be a good bet to open the innings. Laxman, however, said the conditions in Australia are better suited to Rohit. "The wickets in Australia will suit him [Rohit]. He had a successful ODI series in 2007 when he was young and inexperienced. His style of batting will suit Australian conditions, so I will definitely go back to Rohit and have Rahane as a back-up but play him in the middle order."