Dr Atul Gaikwad Adds Another Feather to his Coaching Hat

“A good coach should know what not to say…” was Dr Atul Gaikwad’s coaching 101.

Dr Gaikwad recently became the first coach from India to be awarded the ECB Specialist Coach level four certification and the desire to learn continues to burn for someone who has donned various hats in a stellar career of over 30 years.

Having served as the specialist batting and bowling coach at National Cricket Academy (NCA) in the past, Dr Gaikwad is now Director of Coaching in Sikkim and is working on developing a love for the game in a region which got BCCI affiliation in 2018.

“It’s challenging but I always love these kinds of challenges and developing the game and players at the grass root level. That’s what I have primarily done all my life. Spotting talented players early and then grooming them for the future,” says Dr Gaikwad in a candid chat with CricketNext.

Dr Gaikwad took charge of coaching affairs in Sikkim in 2020 and has been directing all his energies at developing a love for the game in the region. Aware of the challenges which come along with it, the coach wants to take one step at a time and follow a rather simplistic approach.

“In coaching, it’s important to not overcomplicate things and keep it simple. With Sikkim, I knew the technical bit will take time so it was important to first develop a love for the game in the region. If players and rest would start loving the game, results will follow and hard work will come naturally. That’s what I realised early and continue to follow here,” says Dr Gaikwad.

Challenges and learnings

Dr Gaikwad is the highest certified coach in the country, with certifications from UK, India and Cricket Australia, but he continues to feel that “something is missing”. To stay ahead in the ecosystem, the coach wants to hold answers for all the questions which come his way. Seeking those answers, Dr Gaikwad was relentlessly trying for the ECB Level 4 qualification but knew it would not be a cakewalk.

“ECB Level 4 qualification is not easy. Even getting shortlisted is no ordinary feat. And then I had to be prepared to take over 30 flights to the UK in three years. It was not going to be easy but I was up for the challenge. I wanted to have all the answers for my students and wanted to keep learning about different tricks of the trade. One should never stop learning or sit on past laurels, and that was primarily my focus. I wanted to challenge myself with the ECB Level 4 qualification and undergo the comprehensive programme,” says Dr Gaikwad.

The coach from Pune, who was also Assistant Head of Education at BCCI from 2019 until 2021, can’t thank the BCCI and NCA enough for being part of his journey and will be forever grateful to Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid for the recommendation for the ECB programme.

“I will be indebted to BCCI and NCA for growth and learnings during my early years. And then can’t thank Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid enough for the recommendation letter. During the screening process, every coach needs a recommendation letter and Sachin sir and Rahul gave me that which allowed me to present a strong application,” says Dr Gaikwad.

Coaching Arjun Tendulkar and the eye for talent

Dr Gaikwad has worked with numerous international cricketers, like Manish Pandey and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but working with Arjun Tendulkar was a different challenge for the veteran coach. For him, it was important to deal with Arjun as Arjun and not as Sachin Tendulkar’s son.

“It’s a good question – on dealing with Arjun Tendulkar. I realised very early that Arjun wanted to be treated as Arjun and not as Sachin Tendulkar’s son. And I stuck to that throughout. It helped me understand his cricketing needs better and we were able to work and improve on the skills and not focus or pay attention to other things,” reveals Dr Gaikwad.

Recently, a fast bowler from Jammu & Kashmir was in the news after RCB bought him at the mini-auction. Before coming up on RCB Hinterland Scouting radar, seamer Avinash Singh’s bowling videos reached Dr Gaikwad’s inbox. He saw raw talent in the quick and worked very closely with him to get the basics – workload, some tweaks using bio-mechanics and devised a program for him.

“Talent like Avinash excites me. You see talent, you get excited and then do your best to give them the necessary technical expertise. It’s important to not overburden them with information. As I said, it’s important for a coach to know what not to say. With Avinash, there were some changes to the action, landing in particular, and then devising a program for him which allows him to realise his full potential,” says Dr Gaikwad.

What next?

With ECB certification added as another feather to the coaching hat, is Dr Gaikwad now looking at roles with the Indian cricket team?

“It will be an honour to serve the Indian cricket team or BCCI or NCA in any capacity. For me, the desire to improve, learn and help improve and help learn never stops and I want to ensure that the flame of learning continues to burn bright,” concludes Dr Gaikwad.