Wednesday, December 13, 2017

‘We all should be known in Indian cricket’ 12-12-2017

Pandit’s mantra for Team Vidarbha

n By Paritosh Pramanik

HE IS a taskmaster who wants to instill the habit of winning. He is never satisfied with small wins but wants his wards to emerge victors in big wars. In a very less time, this ‘no nonsense’ coach has infused belief in the players’ abilities.
Chandrakant Pandit has replaced the ‘I’ with ‘We’ in the team which has helped the side reach their maiden Ranji Trophy semi-finals. With five outright wins from seven games so far Vidarbha team has been on a dream run.
Talking to ‘The Hitavada’ after Vidarbha’s crushing 412 runs win over Kerala in the quarter-finals, Pandit said he was happy with the way the team carried the momentum. “The boys have carried the momentum from match one. They continued in the same way and that shows their character. They are playing as a good unit and are enjoying their performance on the field as well as off the field. This win has definitely raised the confidence of the team going into the semi-finals,” said Pandit.
The former India stumper does not want his wards to do anything different in the semis.
“I don’t want them to do anything extra. I want them to do what they are doing since last month.”
Pandit is well-known for his disciplined nature and he believes it only helps players. He wants to instill the winning culture of Mumbai in Vidarbha.
“My method of coaching is entirely different. I might be a little harsh, probably more disciplined but that is only for players to play good cricket. I come from Mumbai where I spent my entire career and have instilled a habit of winning. That culture I want to implicate here.
“Looking at this unit for first time, I thought they have lot of talent. What I did to this team is I made a system. We made separate committees among the players on which they all worked together for everybody’s happiness. This has helped in keeping the team together as a cohesive unit. I told them that we all wanted to raise the reputation of Vidarbha cricket. We all should be known in Indian cricket,” Pandit elaborated.
Pandit kept motivating the players by narrating several stories related to Mumbai cricket. A greedy man that he is, Pandit is never happy with small wins. He wants Vidarbha to win the championship. “I have motivated players with Mumbai’s winning stories. There were many instances which I narrated to these players to motivate them. There are several different methods too.
“The players know I never get happy with the small victories or performances. So, till now there is no celebration in the team. I want them to win the championship,” he said.
Lauding the talent Vidarbha cricketers have, Pandit said the players have now started believing in their abilities.

“There is huge talent in the team. The way Apoorv Wankhade batted yesterday, Faiz Fazal scoring runs, Sanjay is also scoring in abundance, Sarwate getting wickets, Gurbani doing well. I think they have started believing in their individual abilities and that is helping the team. I always say that it is the team first than individual heroics,” concluded Pandit.

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