"MS Dhoni's decision-making & strategic skills have set him apart" - Greg Chappell speaks against formal coaching

At a time when Australia's head coach role is once again under the spotlight, former Aussie captain Greg Chappell has batted against formal coaching and the quest for attaining technical brilliance.

Chappell, who played 87 Tests, argued that developed cricket countries have lost the natural environments that have unearthed so many star cricketers in the bygone years.

The former cricketer; however, stressed that the Indian sub-continent still has youngsters playing in the streets which have given birth to a player like MS Dhoni, who is known to have a sharp technical acumen. In his column for ESPNCricinfo, Greg Chappell wrote:

"The Indian subcontinent still has many towns where coaching facilities are rare and youngsters play in streets and on vacant land without the interference of formal coaching. This is where many of their current stars have learned the game."

He added:

"MS Dhoni, with whom I worked in India, is a good example of a batter who developed his talent and learned to play in this fashion. By competing against more experienced individuals on a variety of surfaces early in his development, Dhoni developed the decision-making and strategic skills that have set him apart from many of his peers. His is one of the sharpest cricket minds I have encountered."

Dhoni could be largely credited for India's rise of stocks in the last 15 years. He has scaled new heights with the side and is the only captain in history to win three ICC titles.

Greg Chappell further asserted that structured training of the batters has hindered the growth of the batsmen and has eventually dehumanized the sport.

"The growth in structured training in the preparation of batters has not only failed to take batting forward, it has actually resulted in a decline in batting. Highly structured environments, and an excessive focus on teaching players to perform "correct" technique, dehumanise cricket," Chappell added.

---

"England batting lacked resilience throughout this tour" - Greg Chappell

Joe Root's England suffered a thrashing 0-4 defeat in the recently concluded five-match Ashes. The batting failed completely as a unit apart from a couple of individual brilliance here and there.

Greg Chappell highlighted that English batting looked short of ideas throughout the entire series.

"England would do well to look at their coaching methods and how the best batters develop their skills as part of any review that they initiate on the back of another resounding defeat in Australia. The England batting was bereft of class, short on imagination, and lacked resilience throughout this tour. If I was in charge of English cricket, I know what I would do first - but I won't be giving that information away for free!" he concluded.

England will have a lot of catch-up to do before their next Test assignment against New Zealand later this year.