I think next Mumbai coach should get a longer rope this time, suggests Sachin Tendulkar

Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is in the process of appointing a new coach for the senior team. Mumbai have had a terrible run in the Ranji Trophy in the last two seasons and will be aiming to do well in the upcoming season. Former Indian cricketer and Mumbai stalwart Sachin Tendulkar has opined that the new coach should get a longer rope with the team, which only help them gel well together. 

"I think the coach should get a longer rope. If you give any coach only a few matches and suddenly ask him to go and make a change then it is not going to happen. It takes time. It takes time for the coach and team to understand each other,” said Tendulkar, reported Mid-Day. By the time you understand each other, the season is about to end. But, to have the right coach also becomes . His capability should also be considered.

Tendulkar also stated that Mumbai have immense talent and a solid foundation is what needed to take Mumbai cricket to newer heights.

“We have the talent. It is not possible to win [Ranji Trophy] every year, but you have to accept that the current facilities across the country are better than earlier. The infrastructure and mindsets are changing everywhere which is good for Indian cricket. To take Mumbai cricket ahead, we will have to build a solid foundation. Results are not going to come overnight. There has to be a system to get results. Maybe five or 10 years down the line you will get results, but I don't think Mumbai cricket will be fine starting tomorrow,” Tendulkar added.

Mumbai have been a dominant side on the domestic circuit ever since the inception of the tournament but the last two years have been forgettable for them. Tendulkar further stated that one shouldn’t focus on a particular year of phase and should take into consideration a longer period of time to gauge anything. 

"At the same time, I do not think Mumbai cricket is in so much trouble. If you judge on a yearly basis, it becomes difficult, but if you look at the last 10-12 years, we have won the championships; it's not that we haven't won. The batch between 1984-85 and 1993-94 didn't win too. We had good team in the '80s, but we did not win. Not just Mumbai. If you look around the world, there is always a cycle. The West Indian and Australian teams in the '70s and '80s, or even '90s for that matter… they had done well. The same West Indies are not the same anymore and Australia suffered a similar fate in between. There is always a cycle."