Most pundits would consider the departure of Ponting an irreparable loss. There is no doubt that Ponting was a great batsman and a fine leader of men. However, Jayawardene has fulfilled a variety of roles in his career and can make the transition without compromising on the experience and ability to do the job. This is his first major role as a coach but he has the ability to produce the goods. He takes over from Ponting who coached MI to the title in 2015 and is expected to hit the ground running. To be a coach one needs to have a sound knowledge of the game and understand its nuances. Jayawardene captained Sri Lanka with distinction and is known to be a shrewd thinker of the game. Not all great players are good thinkers of the game but Mahela was a good strategist and his astute tactical acumen will help in his new role at MI. He opens up in an exclusive interview with mumbaiindians.com on what are the challenges facing him and what he needs to do to be successful.

What does it feel like to be the Head Coach of MI?

I’m really excited. It’s a challenge as well as an honour and privilege working with a franchise like MI. During my playing days in the IPL, I realised how well the team operated and I feel excited to be involved.

What was your opinion of Mumbai Indians as an external observer?

I think that there is a lot of talent. The way it’s functioned shows a lot of professionalism and that explains the team’s consistency over the last 9 years. MI always have had a winning mentality and it’s exciting for me to be involved.

How important is it for you to groom young players?

MI have given a lot of opportunities to young players, especially Indians as well as players of other nationalities who have performed outstandingly. That will continue, especially with a lot of young talent coming through. That is something that will be beneficial for the franchise as well as the country that they will go on to represent.

How important is the core group of players in the squad?

Its quite important to maintain that core, that’s been the success of MI. The core group has remained the same for a consistent period. They have created good values and it’s very important to have that core which has been very important to MI’s success.

You must be looking forward to working with captain Rohit Sharma ahead of the upcoming season.

I think since he joined MI, Rohit has been fantastic. He’s led from the front with his performances. He is a very passionate cricketer. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to try and help him. He is going to be the leader of the team and my role becomes important to continue to try and help him. I also have to help the other players evolve and develop and challenge them to be more consistent and Rohit is going to be the key for everyone to flourish.

What’s your coaching philosophy?

It’s quite simple when you are playing for a team, the most important thing is that people understand their role and play for the team. It’s very important to understand every player’s contribution. You win as a team and you lose as a team. We should look after each other, enjoy each other’s success and be part of a family. That’s something that I am quite keen on. I don’t have to do much. That culture is already there. I just have to try and cultivate it more. My job is pretty much going to be helping people behind the scenes and make sure that they are mentally and physically ready and make sure that they have the right environment to go and express themselves which is very important in Twenty20 cricket.

What are your thoughts on replacing Ricky Ponting?

His are pretty big shoes to fill. He is a good friend of mine and created a good environment. My job is to try and improve on it. MI has had some fantastic players who have been head coaches. I need to try and improve on that and I already had a chat with Ricky. I am looking forward to having a few more chats about the team and how he went about it so that the transition becomes smooth.

In terms of your playing career, you played under multiple coaches. Is there any particular trait that you want to incorporate in your own philosophy?

It’s hard to pick one. I played under some fantastic coaches. That has influenced me quite a bit. I learnt from those coaches from the way they went about things. However, every team is different and every culture is different. In an IPL environment you are getting a lot of different people in one team. In the Sri Lankan team the coaches had to adapt to one culture.

In the MI team there will be different characters in the team and I will have to adapt and work with them. I have played for different franchises in different countries and I understand what different characters bring to the table. I need to give them the freedom to perform. That’s something that I am looking forward to. It’s going to be fantastic and I’m looking forward to the challenge.