Mrugang (Monty) Desai, coach of Andhra Ranji team for the upcoming season, said the three primary objectives for him would be to ensure a happy dressing room, team values and consistency out there in the middle.
“My focus is to let a gradual shift in the individual mindset of the players with a strong belief that we (the players) belong to the big league,” he said.
“I am quite pleased to find the players enthusiastic and self-motivated. This makes my job a little less worrisome and keeps me enthused. As a team, we are a confident lot, our aim is high and I can see them really putting a lot of hard work,” said Monty Desai after a training session in Vizag on Monday.
“The fact that Team Andhra qualified for the top eight in the Vijay Hazare Trophy goes a long way in bolstering the boys' confidence and more importantly the craving to keep improving. I reveled sitting in the dug- out that didn’t panic during most of the games,” he said.
“Definitely, the selection of their own teammates - captain Vihari and wicketkeeper-batsman K.S. Bharat for India Test and the India-A squads respectively, will act as a catalyst for others to dream big and put in greater efforts” the coach said.
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“We would like to take it match by match rather than think too far into the Ranji campaign as it’s a long season. We are also aware that both Vihari and Bharat will not be available for a few matches. Therefore, the plan will be to find the right combination early on to compete well. As a team, our focus is to continue repeating the right things without being overly concerned of the circumstances and consequences, which is to plan and prepare well before every game,” Desai said.
The Mumbaikar, a qualified Mechanical Engineer and ECB level 3 coach, said a team’s performance is all about confidence and striking the right balance. “We have experienced seamers who have done well in the past. Karn Sharma is a great addition to our team this year. Having worked with this team for last three months and the skills that I have observed in this team, I feel confident that this team can surely improvise on their past outings in this format,” he said.
“For me the journey has just begun. The preparations have been good for the season opener against Punjab here. My efforts will be to maximize on our potential,” he said.
“Whether you are coaching a club team, a state team or a national team (he was with Afghanistan as it evolved into a formidable force in the shorter versions of the game), it is always a challenge. For me here, it is to apprehend and appreciate the culture,” he said.
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