Former Zimbabwe captain Dave Houghton may have managed to play just 22 Tests and 63 ODIs but his place in the Hall of Fame is secured. The current Zimbabwe coach was a great batsman in both formats and is regarded as among the finest along with Andy Flower in terms of his impact on Zimbabwe cricket. Cricketnext.com managed to speak to the 65-year-old on the sidelines of the current ODI series played between India and Zimbabwe. So, the first question was on his thoughts on India’s sensational wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant. “Well, he is certainly a lot better than I was, particularly as a wicketkeeper. I mean he is a fantastic player to watch,” says Houghton.
ALSO READ | ‘What About Virat’s Future?’: Here’s What Shahid Afridi Replied to a Fan’s Question on Twitter
Even though, the Delhi wicketkeeper-batsman is not touring Zimbabwe for this series, the head coach of Zimbabwe feels that Pant is someone who is going to dominate all formats in the coming years. “Nowadays, obviously Pant is really well built for the T20 format and the fifty overs but I am sure that he is a great Test player as well. He’s got so much innovation, so much power and he looks like he plays with a smile on his face all the time, again one of the greats produced by India,” adds the former Zimbabwe batsman who was the first to score a Test hundred for his country against India in 1992 when they played the inaugural Test.
The richness of Indian cricket in terms of wicket-keeping resources has always fascinated Houghton. He is in awe of Indian cricket’s strength, especially in wicket keeping where they have multiple options someone like KL Rahul, Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Ishan Kishan and obviously they had in past had someone special like Dhoni. So, how does he look at this embarrassment of riches for India? “I think that is the biggest problem India is facing at the international level, how do you pick your best 11? How many people do you play with? Fortunately, you play so much cricket and so many tours that you are able to change your players accordingly,” says Houghton who was named as Zimbabwe’s head coach in the second week of June while replacing former India opener Lalchand Rajput.
Chatting with the Zimbabwean coach this writer gets the sense that sometimes having too many options also creates a different kind of problem for the team management and selectors. “I think in England this summer you had a Test team playing and a one-day side at the same time and then, of course, you had subsequent tours to the West Indies and so and people have changed places and everyone is getting a fair crack at the game. I think the toughest job in India is going to be to pick your final 15 for the world cup because you could pick 50 and then decide to play with the 11 who are good as anybody,” says Houghton who has a wonderful stint with various teams in county cricket in England as well.
So, before I could let him go, I couldn’t resist asking about India’s regular coach Rahul Dravid who too like Houghton has been a great batsman and also done commentary and is now coaching a national team. Is it easier for great players to become a fine coach because of the experience? “It’s hard to say unless you have actually experienced it but I would imagine If Dravid is anything like he was as a cricketer he would be the most sensible head on the block. I am sure he would actually bring some calmness in the change room because we all know particularly in cricket, in the big games’ things can become emotional when things don’t go your way, and I think he will bring an amazing calmness in the change room,” opines Houghton in his admiration for the regular India coach.
Get the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here