MCA vice-president is unhappy with delay in naming Mumbai’s coach; Decision promised by early August.
MUMBAI: A prerequisite for success at any level in sport is planning. And an off-season is the perfect time to set in place a system which could work efficiently once the ‘action’ begins. Cricket authorities in Mumbai, one would conclude, don’t believe much in this. More than a month has passed since former India all-rounder Karsan Ghavri quit as Mumbai’s Ranji cricket team coach to join Tripura, but the Mumbai cricket Association (MCA) hasn’t yet taken any concrete steps to get his replacement.
Former Indian captain and currently the MCA vice-president Dilip Vengsarkar is miffed at what he calls ‘this unnecessary delay’. “They should have named the new coach by now. To be honest with you, I cannot understand the reason for this delay.” When asked whether the ‘Colonel’ had pointed this out to the concerned people in the MCA, of which he himself is an official, Vengsarkar said: “I had discussed this with Milind Rege, who is a secretary of the Cricket Improvement Committee, which will take a decision in this regard. But I was told that Madhav Apte, who is the chairman of this panel, is out of the country, and any decision in this regard could only be take once he returns.”
When DNA contacted MCA treasurer Ratnakar Shetty, he said: “The CIC will meet in the next ten days for this purpose. They will shortlist quite a few names, and then, eventually, select one.” According to Shetty, Mumbai’s new coach could be named by the first week of August. However, when Shetty was asked on what particular date was the panel supposed to meet, he said. “That is difficult to say for now. It depends on the availability of members.” For the record, the committee comprises eight members.
“Apte was out of this country till recently. Ditto was the case with another member, former Test player Sanjay Manjrekar. Moreover, I am myself am very busy these days with all the organisational work related to the Champions Trophy in September.” Shetty is the tournament director of the event.
Mumbai begin their Ranji Trophy season against Hyderabad at Vizag on December 1. A lot of time to go, one may assume, but coaches need significant time to understand their team before formulating any strategies.
When Ghavri quit in early June, the MCA secretary Lalchand Rajput had promised that the new coach would be named within a month. It is clear that the MCA wasn’t too prepared to deal with Ghavri’s resignation, though it showed otherwise. “They should have appointed the new man by now. A new person takes time to settle in and devise strategies. He decides which tournaments the team will take part in before the Ranji season begins. It is unfair to criticise someone who is appointed at the last minute and blame that person for poor results,” says Vengsarkar.
Shetty also confirmed that the new coach would be a Mumbaite. “If we start looking beyond our borders for coaches, then there is something seriously wrong with our cricket,” he said. He did not rule out handing over the job to Mumbai’s current batting coach Pravin Amre.
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