More than Hindi or English, our coach should understand our culture: Dhoni

'I don’t think there is too much problem with communication. It has been observed that English is not a barrier with the players who have come in.'

India’s limited-overs’ captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni says it is not necessary that knowledge of Hindi should be the main criteria while selecting the coach of the team.

"It can be a criteria, but it can’t be the only criteria that it is important for the coach to speak in Hindi," said Dhoni, in Mumbai on Tuesday, on the eve of Indian team’s departure to Zimbabwe for a limited-overs’ series.

"One of the most important things is that he should understand our culture, more than Hindi or English. And one who can understand our culture and our upbringing, he will always be better with us.

"If you see in the past also, these things have played an important role and the coaches who have understood those things well, you have seen it, have made a difference in the field of play," he added.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India, in its initial advertisement for the job of India coach, had issued a circular with a nine-point criteria, including one stating a 'desire' to have a Hindi-speaking one.

'Communication skills befitting the coach of an International team are mandatory along with the ability to effectively convey the right messages and must demonstrate proficiency in English. It is desirable to communicate in Hindi and other regional Indian languages,’ read point number six of the nine-point criteria candidates need to fulfill while applying for the coach’s job.

The Board, though, later back-tracked on the Hindi-speaking part, saying the coach's ability to communicate in Hindi is ‘desirable but by no means mandatory’.

Elaborating on the issue, Dhoni stressed that the players who have come into the team can all understand English and there should not be a problem with communication if a foreign coach is appointed.

"I don’t think there is too much problem with communication. It has been observed that English is not a barrier with the players who have come in, but at the same time there are other players who also take the initiative. If someone doesn’t understand something, they help their fellow-players on what it means and explain them the same," he said.

Dhoni also pointed out that many of the foreign coaches opt not to apply for the Indian coach’s job as the team is continuously playing through the year.

"According to our team environment, we need to select the best available person. It is not as if everyone wants to be the Indian coach; there is a reason behind it.

"We play so much cricket, and if you have a family... and it is not that we play for six months and then take two months’ break -- we keep playing continuously. A lot of the international coaches have this problem that we play a lot of cricket. So we will have to see the availability and select the best option who is best suited for our team."

Former India all-rounder Sanjay Bangar was appointed interim head coach for the limited-overs’ tour of Zimbabwe, starting June 11, comprising three ODIs and three T20Is, while former domestic cricketer Abhay Sharma is the fielding coach.