New Delhi, May 20: Gautam Gambhir reckons that playing international cricket is not a prerequisite to become a successful T20 batting coach, whose job according to the former India opener is to help players cultivate a positive mindset.

The cricketer-turned-politician said that a batting coach can be appointed exclusively for the shortest format of the game. Gautam Gambhir Slams Shahid Afridi Over Controversial Kashmir Remarks, Says 'Jokers Like You Can Spew Venom Against India'.

"Probably you can just have a different T20 batting coach, just for that particular format. It is really not true that someone who hasn't played international cricket or who hasn't played enough cricket, can't become a successful coach," Gambhir said on Star Sports' show 'Cricket Connected'.

"What ultimately a coach does in a T20 format is frees your mindset and feeds your mindset and make you hit those goals and those big shots," he added.

The World-Cup winning opener said that job of the batting coach in T20 cricket is not to teach how to hit shots.

"No one teaches you how to hit a lap shot or a reverse lap shot, no coach can do that. If someone is trying to do that to a player, he is harming him more than actually making him a better player." However, Gambhir is of the opinion that being a successful player helps become a better selector.

"It's not important that you have played a lot of cricket, for you to be a very successful coach - probably, that's right for a selector, but not for a coach."

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)