Former India captain Kapil Dev disapproved of the policy of continuous experimentation with composition and strategies of the Indian team, saying players perform better when their place in the side is secure.
"Indians are not very comfortable with uncertainty. They need to be sure of their spot in the team to instill confidence in them," the World Cup-winning captain said.
He attributed this factor to the culture and general upbringing in the country.
"We need our base to be strong. We are brought up that way. Even in other walks of life Indians we are not very amenable to change," Kapil said.
"We don't change our bases readily for better jobs and higher salary. We want to stay close to home," he said.
Indians think differently than Americans, Australians and Europeans, Kapil claimed.
India coach Greg Chappell and skipper Rahul Dravid have employed frequent changes to team composition and batting order, testing out players in different roles, but Kapil disagreed with the approach.
"The experiments employed have to be consistent with the culture of the concerned players, their mindset and environment to be effective," he stressed.
He said most such experiments are done in different scenarios and are not applicable to Indians.
"Almost 99 per cent of experiments are done on whites but they are applied indiscriminately on us," the cricketing legend said.
"If one tells me that pasta is good for me, I may not agree," he added.
Kapil also endorsed Australian spin legend Shane Warne's claim that international sides don't need a coach.
"The game should be about the players out on the field rather than the coaches," Kapil, who himself served in a similar capacity with the Indian team, said.
Warne had indicated that the role of Australian coach John Buchanan in the team's extraordinarily successful run was hyped and the Queenslander tended to complicate matters which should have been dealt in a simpler manner.
Kapil said international teams do not need a coach in the strict sense of the world.
"Players at the top level do not need coaching. At best they require slight adjustments in technique," the World Cup-winning captain said at a function related to the Delhi Half Marathon, to be held on Sunday.
"Top cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid do not need a coach at the present stage of their careers. They may need someone who can suggest certain adjustments wherever required," he said.
If specialised coaching was so valuable, a team would have specialists to help out in all departments of the game, including wicket-keeping, he said.
The primary task of a coach with an international side was motivation, Kapil said.
"A coach should keep pushing players to get better and not allow them to sit on their laurels," he said.
It was important that the focus moved from coaching to winning matches, Kapil felt.
"At the end of the day, that is what matters the most.
"The best technical coaches should be employed at the school and college levels" he suggested.
