India should appoint a full-time coach before the burden of leadership begins to affect new captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, several former players say.
Dhoni, 26, was made one-day skipper after Rahul Dravid abruptly quit the job following the tour of England last month saying captaincy was becoming stressful.
Cricket-crazy India have been without a coach since Australian Greg Chappell resigned after their first round exit at the 50-over World Cup in March.
Keeper-batsman Dhoni, playing in only his second full year of international cricket, celebrated a generation change in leadership by guiding a young team to a surprise triumph at the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa last month.
But 50-over world champions Australia quickly punctured the Indian euphoria with two authoritative victories in the ongoing seven-match one-day series --- Dhoni's first series after being handed the reins for 12 one-dayers.
However, India won the fourth match by eight runs on Monday to keep their hopes in the series alive at 2-1 after the opening match was washed out.
The fifth match will be played in Baroda on Thursday.
STRONG CONTENDER
Confident and positive in his approach, Dhoni is seen as strong contender for Test captaincy as well.
But some feel his natural instincts could suffer with growing pressure and expectation in the absence of a coach to share some of his responsibilities.
"It [the presence of a full-time coach] will help him grow in his job and approach it with clarity," former test batsman and national coach Anshuman Gaekwad said.
"In India, captaincy does not end with the 75 yards anymore. It is 24x7, which is why a coach plays a very important role," he said, throwing some light on Dravid's statement when he relinquished the post that "leading India was constantly getting tougher."
The absence of a full-time coach is becoming a growing concern within the team as well, with key batsman and one-day vice-captain Yuvraj Singh asking the board not to delay the appointment any longer.
India have former Test pacer Venkatesh Prasad as bowling coach and former all-rounder Robin Singh as fielding coach but only an interim cricket manager on tours.
"The BCCI has a tendency to let the captain be on his own after appointing him," former Test captain Bishan Bedi told Indian Express on Sunday.
"They tend to throw him at the deep end and let him fend for himself. Dhoni needs to be protected. He is a nice, clean man and his success is important for India," Bedi added.
South African Graham Ford turned down India's coaching offer in June and the board has since advertised the post.
A special committee comprising former captains has been formed to consider the 20 applications that have been received and the team is expected to have a full-time coach in place for the tour of Australia in December.