Focus is to survive in the domestic grind, says Arunachal coach

The former India player has good coaching experience under his belt to help the cricketers wade through the rough waters of tough domestic competition.

Gursharan Singh (r) who is currently coaching India Blue in the ongoing Duleep Trophy feels there is a long way to go before Arunachal Pradesh can seek some success.

Newly appointed coach of Arunachal Pradesh, Gursharan Singh, is a man on a mission.

The former India player has good coaching experience under his belt to help the cricketers wade through the rough waters of tough domestic competition.

Practicing on marshy lands and makeshift wickets, Arunachal cricketers have been slogging it out with whatever they can do to make every minute of their training and preparation count.

While Arunachal will face its first test in the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy, Gursharan feels there is a long way to go before the state can seek some success.

“Results will not come overnight. There is a lot of work to be done, in fact from scratch. We do have some few senior players who can coach and help the juniors but the entire team work will take some time for the results to show up,” he said.

Gursharan is currently coaching India Blue in the ongoing Duleep Trophy.

Focus on survival

The middle-order batsman has done his homework and knows what approach he has to take.

“Once I meet the team, the focus will be on improving their technique, their skills and more importantly how to focus and play multiple formats, which is a must to survive in the domestic grind,” he explained.

Arunachal has been allotted a ground in Assam for its preparations and Gursharan feels it is important for players to make use of every minute and every facility.

“The Indian domestic calendar is packed and is highly competitive. It is absolutely necessary for every player to focus on their fitness, their technical aspects and more importantly how to play spin as in the subcontinent, spin dominates. That’s how one can survice,” the former Delhi and Punjab batsman added.

For Gursharan, the role of coaching a state team sounds exciting. “Definitely it is a challenging job, no doubt. But it is all about how well one can do under pressure. The pressure to perform is there but overcoming it is where the challenge lies. I am all pumped up and waiting to take up the job,” he said.

Gursharan has a solid and experienced hand in Aprameya Jaiswal, who would ply his trade for Arunachal as a guest player.

The team, in all likelihood, will rope in Delhi-based top-order batsman Kshitiz Sharma for the upcoming season.