The next couple of months are going to be exciting for Jonty Rhodes. After a long hiatus, the former South Africa cricketer will be returning to the IPL as Kings XI Punjab’s fielding coach and he is looking forward to working with head coach Anil Kumble.
Having played in the same era, Rhodes admires Kumble’s coaching style. “I did not approach Kings XI Punjab, I got a call from them. But I took up the offer because of Kumble,” Rhodes told Sportstar . In the city for the UnAcademy Road Safety World Series — where he is leading South Africa Legends — Rhodes admitted that Kumble’s idea about the game is incredible.
Thinking man’s cricketer
“I really like the way Kumble works. He is a thinking man’s cricketer.
“He is someone who has played top-level cricket, but has a real brain around, away from cricket too. And I think you need that. If you’re going to be head coach or mentoring a team, you got to be more than just a cricketer,” Rhodes said.
This season, Kings XI will be led by India international K.L. Rahul and Rhodes rates him quite highly.
“I love watching Rahul. He has been playing some superb limited overs cricket. His stats in white ball cricket have been really good because he plays good cricket shots. He maximises the PowerPlay,” the 50-year-old Rhodes said.
Also read | Young black players need equal opportunity: Jonty Rhodes
Rhodes wants to groom young talent from Punjab.
“All this while, I’ve been really focusing on grassroots and development cricket. So I am hoping that by the time my time is up with Kings XI, I can be adding more than just to the IPL franchise. I want to make sure that we’re growing the game in the area too, so that you get young local players, and future stars for Kings XI,” Rhodes said.
“So when I leave after two-three years, I want to make sure that I’ve left the game in a better position than I found it.
“ I’m sure winning trophies is important, but growing the game in that area is something I’ve been excited about.”
Last year, Rhodes had applied for the position of India’s fielding coach. But R. Sridhar was retained in his position for another term.
Asked whether he would want to coach any international team, Rhodes said that there are no such plans.
