Press Trust of India
Kolkata, April 7: Kolkata Knight Riders’ new head coach Jacques Kallis said Thursday that he would not tinker much with the winning formula put in place by previous coach Trevor Bayliss, who guided the team to two IPL titles. Bayliss has currently taken over as coach of the England side.
“There’s an old saying if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Certainly, I will be sticking to that theory,” Kallis said at KKR’s first media interaction of the season, at the Eden Gardens here. Kallis has been an integral part of the KKR side, first as a player and now has gradually progressed to the role of the head coach.
Terming this as natural progression, Kallis said: “It started last season when I was a batting consultant and then when Trevor got the English job, it gave me an opening. Venky (Mysore) and the guys at KKR asked me to take up the role. I’ve been involved with KKR for six years now. I know the set-up pretty well. It’s a new and exciting challenge.”
Talking about his plan of actions, the former South African all-rounder stated that he is lucky to work with a system already in place.
“I’m fortunate for the system is in place. It certainly will be unchanged. He (Bayliss) was magnificent. He’s shown how good he is after taking over the England job. My coaching style would be similar to what his was,” Kallis pointed out.
Having played a key role in winning their maiden title in 2012, the veteran all-rounder took up the role of a mentor and batting consultant last season. “Fortunately I worked as a player and then a filler coach so I got to know what works with the guys, most of whom are pretty much the same. Like I say I would not be changing too much but a couple of things to add to my own identity,” Kallis informed.
Meanwhile skipper Gautam Gambhir stated that is putting in extra hours at the nets to regain his batting form. “I know that I did not have a very productive domestic season with the bat,” Gambhir informed the media. “But I am sure that I will get out of the rot and lead from the front. I still have India ambitions and the only way to get back into the side is by scoring consistently,” he added.