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India’s outgoing bowling coach Paras Mhambrey has worked within BCCI’s ecosystem from 2015 as Rahul Dravid’s trusted lieutenant. During their last assignment, they saw India lift the T20 World Cup in Barbados last month.
“It’s rewarding to see that the process that we started has seen players come through the ranks, go on to play for India and eventually share the dressing room when they were lifting the trophy. Rahul was very clear in his head what he wanted to do and backed it all the way – be it with the U-19 and India ‘A’ teams or at the NCA,” Mhambrey tells TOI in an interview.
Excerpts…
Can you talk about the points that defined this journey with Rahul Dravid?
Rahul was very clear that we had to stick to a ‘process-first’ policy with the developmental teams. Results were not the focus. It was ensured that every player on a tour got at least a game. That didn’t mean that all of them got equal opportunities. But we had to ensure that no one was denied game time. Players felt secure and as a result the ‘A’ teams and U-19 teams lost very few matches. Thriving ‘A’ and U-19 programmes were instrumental in making sure the players never felt out of place when they toured with the senior team.
I believe the biggest achievement during our tenure has been assimilation of data. When we started, there was no data at the U-19 and India ‘A’ level. There were no video analysts assigned. We had to run around and chase state associations to keep data of players. I remember there was a series in New Zealand when I had to sit all day at a spot holding a camera to shoot the game from the perfect angle. Devraj Raut at NCA was a massive help. As we got data across all aspects of the game, we could formalize a lot of programmes and streamline the structure. When you have data with you, it’s easier to get players on board with your planning such as workload management.
Then there was the decision to limit players to just one U-19 World Cup. Again, a strong ‘A’ programme and ’emerging’ programme helped bridge the gap and carry out the transition of players.
How different was it when you guys stepped into the Indian dressing room?
It was different. We took time to build a relationship with senior players. You can’t be dealing in the same way with the likes of Shami, Ashwin, Virat or Rohit as you did with the players coming through BCCI programmes. Here the most important thing was conversations. Building relationships is crucial. That’s why we got to a place when we could have an honest conversation with Ishant Sharma in South Africa and then the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar to tell them the vision we had for the team going forward. Even with the likes of Siraj, who has come through our ‘A’ programme, we were having different conversations and that was result-oriented.
You leave when there’s an ageing bowling attack which includes Shami and Ashwin?
It’s important to have those discussions with Shami and Ashwin about their future plans and then lay out a plan. When we decided to invest in youth, we made sure they were not alone in the park shouldering all responsibilities. Be it Arshdeep or Avesh, we made sure they were always bowling alongside senior bowlers.
The famous win at Gabba in 2021 showed the strength of the pace bowling pool. How much time does it take to create such a backup pool?
You can’t put a timeline on that. You have to be patient with it. We started in 2015 and we had that pool by 2020. If you look at Arshdeep’s evolution, he played in the U-19 World Cup in 2018 and he was representing India in 2022 before really becoming an integral part in 2024. A young pace bowler takes four-five years to hit his peak. You can’t simply rush them through.
How pleasing has it been to see Arshdeep grow?
He got just one game in the U-19 World Cup because we were giving opportunities to everyone. Then he was out of the system. When he got picked in the IPL, I thought it was going to be interesting. But the best thing about him is that he is all about bowling. He loves to keep on bowling. He doesn’t have a cluttered mind when he is at the top of the mark. He has bowled in the toughest phases. Even in IPL, where you were seeing consistent scores of above 200, his economy was under nine. Just the dedication towards bowling and a clear head has seen him rise.
Do you think you need more incentives to play red ball cricket to have all-format bowlers?
It is a bit tough with the younger generation of cricketers who have grown up seeing IPL. When Rahul and I were working with the junior teams, we talked a lot about the history of the game so they could understand the importance of all formats. Only 314 players have played Test cricket for India. What could be more glamorous than becoming a part of that elite list? And if you talk to the likes of Bumrah, Shami and Siraj, who have been doing well in all three formats, you will know how much they value Test cricket. If you do well in Test cricket, your value goes up a few notches.
The last home series against England saw 450-plus scores like Test cricket used to be in India. Do you think India’s home advantage lies only with rank turners?
You have to understand what your advantage is according to the resources you have. If you have far better spinners then obviously spinning tracks will be your advantage. But raging rank turners are not the answer. It brings the touring team into the game big time because anybody who could roll his arm over and land the ball at a desired spot can run through your batting. It becomes a lottery.
Barring Hardik Pandya, India does not have a genuine pace-bowling allrounder…
You need to identify such players across the country. There won’t be many pace-bowling allrounders. The problem is that most of them give up bowling to sustain themselves. But if you can manage to find five-six potential allrounders from U-19 and domestic cricket, you have to keep working with them. Give them confidence. The Impact Player rule in IPL doesn’t help. But you have to be at it. We have got Shivam Dube back to bowling. You have to give these bowlers overs in matches so that they start backing themselves.
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