Sriram ready to ‘challenge the norms’ with Tigers

Sridharan Sriram has been appointed as technical consultant, but has since been given charge of the T20I team.  "If I talk sense, they listen to me. If I talk nonsense, they don't. It's as simple as that."

That was February 2017. Sridharan Sriram was being succinct, as usual. Just minutes earlier, Steve O'Keefe, the left-arm spinner, had spoken glowingly about Sriram's influence and strategic inputs after his 12-wicket haul in Pune had consigned India to one of their heaviest Test defeats at home in recent times.

With the Australia men's team, where he worked with as spin consultant for seven years until two months ago, Sriram had time to build relationships with the players. As Bangladesh's de facto T20 head coach, he will barely get three training sessions to try and lift a team stuck in a rut in the format.

Since 2021, Bangladesh have lost 23 of their 35 T20Is. This includes losses in all their Super 12 games at last year's World Cup and series losses to Pakistan, Afghanistan, West Indies and Zimbabwe. It's an unenviable position to be where Sriram is, but he has the methods, picked up while being a part of the entire coaching spectrum over the past decade.

Bangladesh's set-up is a complex one. For all the powers or freedom a head coach may have, there's always the board president's shadow looming. That is enough pressure to contend with. We aren't even factoring in the weight of expectation from the fanatical supporters.

Sriram, though, isn't fussed. He loves challenges and embraces them. He has had to put in the hard yards to evolve. Sriram's first-class record will tell you he made nearly 10,000 first-class runs. But, as coach, it's his expertise in spin bowling that has made him famous.

"I've just forgotten the fact that I was a player, it doesn't matter how many runs I've scored," he said in his first media interaction since being appointed by the BCB. "I'm here to help other people. Probably one of my biggest strengths is I don't carry baggage of my playing days, or frustrations, or my past into coaching.

"[As coach] you see others with a completely different set of eyes, and my experience dealing with different cultures at the IPL [with Kings XI Punjab - now Punjab Kings - and Royal Challengers Bangalore], with the Indian boys, the Aussie set-up will help. There is a good mix of the east and the west [in my education]. Coming into a culture like Bangladesh, I understand their upbringing, the way they approach the game.

"At the same time, I can bring in that professionalism. I can really set clear expectations on what is required at this level from a professional standpoint, so it's a good culmination of all these [factors] and I'm really looking forward to it."

Mike Hesson, director of cricket at Royal Challengers, has had a ringside view of Sriram's methods. The two first together for a season at Kings XI Punjab [as it was known then] and then later came together at Royal Challengers where they continue to push the bar. Together, they've lifted an underperfoming unit to a consistent one; they've now made the playoffs for three seasons in a row.

"Even though Sri is experienced, he's always looking to get ahead, challenge the norms and that's important in a coaching group, where you want to break boundaries and look for new methods techniques to get that advantage," Hesson told ESPNcricinfo. "He's always looking at trends of the modern game. He always comes back refreshed with ideas to add to the group."

One of Sriram's strengths is building relationships with players he works with. His speciality is spin but he has got enough batting expertise that makes his inputs in that area invaluable too.