I don't want to be stuck in one team for eight months of the year: Jonty Rhodes on why he's not coaching any international team

For Jonty Rhodes, India is the second home. The former legendary fielder from South Africa recently made the headlines after taking a holy dip in the Ganga that made senior Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh say that he has seen more of India than the Turbanator himself. The 50-year-old Rhodes will be busy in India for a few months now. After leading South Africa Legends in the Road Safety World Series in Mumbai and Pune, Rhodes will focus on the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.

Rhodes will be joining the IPL this year as the fielding coach of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) where he will be working with head coach Anil Kumble. Rhodes has worked earlier with the Mumbai Indians and also tried to bag the post of India’s national fielding coach though eventually could not.

Time is a challenge for Jonty Rhodes for international commitments

He was recently asked in an interview on Sportstar whether he has plans to take up international assignments in the future again and he said that’s something difficult for him at this point of time.

“The difficulty with international assignments is that it’s a real commitment from a time point of view. In IPL, I’m going to be here away from home for three months of the year. I left home to go PSL first and then came straight here for the Road Safety World Series. After this, it will be the IPL. So, it’s going to be three months out from home. That’s a proper commitment. But if you add four or five more months to the year on top of that, then it is difficult,” Rhodes told Sportstar.

Stressing on his commitments on the family front, the former SA cricketer added, “My wife and I have four children at home who are growing fast. Our daughter India is now five, son Nathan Jane is turning. Two older boys are 13 and 10. So before you know it, your son is finishing high school and if I don’t spend enough time at home, I’m gonna miss them. I’m missing a lot already. For my wife, it’s a big sacrifice. She works hard at home. They are of different age groups, they play different sports, with not much help at all.”

Rhodes concluded by saying that he is not looking for an international or national team to work with once the IPL ends. “I love the fact that I can go and coach in Nepal or over here — in Salem, Pune — and not be stuck in one place or team for eight months of the year,” the man who has over 8k runs in 52 Tests and 245 ODIs, said.