Players are heavily dependent on coaches or mentors: Ravichandran Ashwin

Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has never been a fan of depending heavily on coaches. In his 14 years of playing international cricket, which has seen him take 744 wickets across 281 games Ashwin has always valued his ability to think independently and evolve. He believes that over-reliance on coaches can make players rigid, hampering their ability to find their solutions.

The 37-year-old's revelation comes at a time when coaching in sports has become more developed, with many players placing great trust in their mentors. However, Ashwin sees a potential downside to this trend. He emphasized the importance of independence and the dangers of becoming too influenced by external guidance.

"A lot of players are heavily dependent on coaches or mentors, or one person which I think is a very dangerous trend because latching on to people and over-dependency can cause you to not be able to open to new ideas," the 37-year-old off-spinner told as quoted by the Business Insider.

Also read: Virat Kohli named ODI batter of the year, Rohit Sharma International cricketer of the year

I disagree with the modern-day coaching philosophy: Ashwin

Ashwin's early cricketing journey was shaped by coaches like WV Raman and Tamil Nadu legend S Badrinath. However, he never let his relationship with them evolve into dependency. Ashwin credits Raman for allowing him the freedom to explore his game and for not imposing a fixed path on him.

"People can give you a helping hand. But they cannot guide you through in your career, you will have to be open to fresh ideas. For me, WV allowed me the freedom to express, and, you know, try new things. He also taught me how and on what path I needed to travel, but he never said, 'This is the path you need to travel upon," he added.

Ashwin is critical of modern coaching philosophies that apply the same techniques to every player. He believes this approach ignores the individuality of each player and their unique challenges. 

"One modern-day coaching philosophy which I totally disagree with is the fact that they try to copy-paste the same technique (solution) that's worked for another cricketer," Ashwin further added.

Also read: Ravichandran Ashwin justifies T Natarajan’s absence from Duleep Trophy

While some players thrive under the strict guidance of coaches, the veteran believes that this can lead to a closed mind. He insists that cricketers must be able to find their own answers, as the sport constantly presents new challenges. 

"As a cricketer, you constantly are thrown up with new challenges, so you must be able to find your own answers," Ashwin concluded.