Top-notch domestic cricket coach Chandrakant Pandit reveals his success strategy at the mid-day Masterclass
Former India stumper Chandrakant Pandit interacts with mid-day's Harit N Joshi during the Masterclass session at MIG Cricket Club in Bandra on Thursday. Pics/Atul Kamble
Coaches are known to closely guard their strategies, but India's most celebrated domestic cricket coach, Chandrakant Pandit, is different. He was only too happy to share his success mantra and discuss his coaching methods in the latest edition of mid-day Masterclass, a unique platform for aspiring athletes to learn the finer points of the game straight from the master.
In an insightful session held at the MIG Cricket Club in Bandra on Thursday, Pandit spoke at length about how his unique methods have helped transform Vidarbha into domestic champions across the last two seasons, where they won both the Ranji Trophy as well as Irani Cup.
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Also Read: Mumbai cricket team's fall down to one administrator: Chandrakant Pandit
Excerpts
Two consecutive Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup titles with Vidarbha and before that, two back-to-back Ranji Trophy final appearances with Mumbai. What are you doing that no other coach in India is?
I am fortunate to enjoy this kind of success. I must thank the cricketers for giving me this identity. It's the players who make a coach. It is not success, it is just what a professional is asked to deliver every time. I have always thought about the [cricketing] culture of states. When you talk of Mumbai, they have a different cricket culture. Every state has a different culture and habits. So, as a coach, one has to find out what arena they like to play their cricket in and what are their expectations. With Mumbai, you don't need to teach them the culture because that is already present. Players, who have grown up in the Mumbai cricket circle, are already taught that they play to win. That is the attitude. Coaching is very important because other than developing the players' skills and technique, it is also about how you raise the bar for them. One has to know the players, their temperament and what ability they have.
Where were Vidarbha lacking before you took over the reins?
Many people ask me what I have done with them [Vidarbha]. I say I have done nothing as a coach. I just told them that we are playing to win the trophy. It is about the mindset. When I spoke to them in my first team meeting, I asked them why they have not won in the last 80 years. And the first answer I got was, 'Sir, we have qualified for the knockout round only twice'. The mindset of the players was to just qualify. They were not thinking beyond that. With a team like Mumbai, they'd never think of just qualifying. If Mumbai have not won the Ranji Trophy, it means their season has been bad. But in other states, their season is very good if they just qualify. I found there were three groups - one group was thinking of playing at the highest level. The other was happy with just qualifying for the knockout round and the third group was satisfied with 30, 40 runs or three or four-wicket performances. I had to break that and bring them on one platform. The right mindset is the key.
You are known to be a disciplinarian, but also flexible in your approach. How do you manage that?
I am very balanced in my actions. One evening you will find me going berserk with the boys, but the next morning, they could be sitting with me on the breakfast table. I balance it that way. Many a time a player has lost his confidence. Once, when I was sitting in a selection meeting in Nagpur, the selectors mentioned a few names they felt might not play for Vidarbha anymore. They asked me not to consider those players, but I must mention the support I got from Prashant Vaidya [VCA vice-president]. After a few net sessions, I saw their potential and would wonder why they are not being promoted? There were two players in the current Vidarbha team - Apoorv Wankhade and Akshay Karnewar. They were known to be shorter format players, but I was very keen to play them in the longer version. I wanted to build their confidence. I called Wankhade a month before the season began and told him that he will play in my team. He was shocked. He thought I was joking because for the last four years he was not in the team and here I was telling him that he was going to play. I told him that I believed in his talent and that I would give him minimum six chances because I was confident that he could win us the Ranji Trophy. I did not even tell him about winning a match. Karnewar [ambidextrous spinner] was also shocked when I told him that he is going to play ahead of [left-arm spinner] Aditya Sarwate. I told him that he's the best bowler of this team. I gave him confidence and probably he was just waiting for this opportunity. He comes from a small district and did not even have the self-confidence to talk. It is important to give players confidence, but at the same time, one has to ensure he does not get over-confident. The player should also know that he cannot take his place for granted. I give a lot of time to my players. There are coaches who do not communicate with their players after a practice session.
Tell us about your man-management skills.
We have to create a platform where there is one mindset. Sometimes, we have to give players some responsibility as well. We formed different committees in the [Vidarbha] team. It helps me to keep the bunch together. The responsibility that they take through these activities helps them on the field as well. We have a food committee, entertainment committee, discipline committee, ground and travel committee. There is a leader for each committee. There are also problems at times where, as a coach, I may not get into directly. Young players may feel free to express their problems with senior players like Wasim Jaffer, Ganesh Satish and Faiz Fazal [Vidarbha captain]. So, through these senior players, I get a clue of what a certain player is thinking or what is his problem.
Can you elaborate on your coaching methods?
That is another quality one [coach] should learn. I constantly think about how to raise the bar for a player. As a coach, sometimes the player may not feel comfortable when I am trying to give him a suggestion. So, the same thing can be done through someone else. Once Wankhade was in Mumbai and was low on confidence. I was to meet [former India captain] Dilip Vengsarkar. We were in a car and Vengsarkar spoke about how he should pace his innings, handle the bowlers and how his talent can be utilised. So whatever I wanted to tell him, came from Dilip and it made a lot of difference to his approach. He gained a lot of confidence. Once, when I was with Mumbai, I had requested Sachin Tendulkar to speak to a player after telling him about his problem. So, after the phone call from Sachin, the player did not have second thoughts. The player was ready to do what was told. This is how a coach can use different sources to influence players. It is not necessary for everything to come only from you [coach]. It can come from a friend, a cricketer, a parent.
Were you upset to see Mumbai lose to Vidarbha?
Yes of course. It's not just my team [as coach]. It is also the team I played for and because of which I went on to play for my country. I coached the Mumbai team and it hurts because it is your family, your home. But when you are on the other side, you can't do anything about it. When Vidarbha beat Mumbai at Jamtha, I felt very sad because it was the same team I was handling a few years ago. Winning and losing is a part of the game, but I was disappointed not to see that culture in the Mumbai dressing room.
Any chance of coming back to Mumbai?
I'm committed to Vidarbha for two seasons. Till now, I have not thought about it [returning to coach Mumbai] but I will definitely give it a thought when the time comes.
With inputs from Clayton Murzello, Ashwin Ferro and Sundari Iyer.
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