Justin Langer hits back at all the allegations around his coaching tactics

Australia coach Justin Langer found himself amid all the heat after Australia lost in hands of India in the latest Border Gavaskar Trophy. Justin Langer has hit back at talks of dressing room discontent over his harsh coaching style in the light of the historic Test loss against the Indian team. When talks emerged on his coaching styles, he has stated that leadership role “isn’t a popularity contest.”

As per a report by Sydney Morning Herald source, it has been stated that Australian players have been frustrated with Langer’s style of coaching. Players have not been able to cope up with his intensity and emotional shifts, and he has also been reported to micromanage the team. An incident from the Gabba Test match have further added to the allegations, which stated that he didn’t allow one player to snack on a toasted sandwich.

Langer has opened on his relationship with players and clearly stated that it hasn’t affected despite all the odds they faced during the last few days. He also added that leadership isn’t a popularity contest, and he can’t be someone who can always make players laugh and have fun every single time.

“If players just want someone to tickle their stomachs all the time, then I’m not doing my job,” he added.

Langer coaches the Australian national team across all the formats- Test, ODI, and T20I. In addition, he is a member of the three-man selection panel. It has been told that players didn’t like his style of coaching and training, and reports talked of incidents where bowlers have felt overwhelmed about their statistics during the lunch break. However, Langer has denied any such allegations.

Justin Langer opens on his side of story

“There are stresses to the job. It’s a big job,” he added.

“It’s actually the opposite of what happens,” Langer said. “I never talk about statistics to the bowlers, ever. I don’t go to any of the bowlers’ meetings. That’s what the bowlers’ coach is meant to be doing. I don’t do any of that. I never ever speak to any of the bowlers about any of that sort of stuff. And the learnings of the last few months are I should start looking at that more,” he concluded.