JOIN USKarnataka bowlers played a vital role in the side’s title defence in this season’s Ranji Trophy. As they bask in the glory and look ahead for better performances, the man behind their efforts, bowling coach Mansur Ali Khan, spoke to Deccan Herald about the journey of handling the players and transforming them into match winners.
On the three-year journey: When I joined in 2012, the biggest challenge was to convince the bowlers about their match-winning abilities. Our unit back then was high on aggression and skills. But it was important for the bowlers to adjust to the plans of the teams. And that's where I believe we have improved a lot and the results are out to be seen.
On the consistency from the bowlers: The reason behind the consistency is the unity shown by the players. We transformed them to being total team players. Credit must also go to their hunger for improvement. I brought a speed gun and told Mithun and Sharath that they are not bowling to their potential. They took it up as a challenge. Mithun went on to clock 140km/h from 135.
On Vinay Kumar's influence: Vinay is a great role model. For example, Sharath is a strict follower of Vinay's work ethics. It is heartening to see a youngster show great commitment and Vinay leads by example.
On the coaching style: I don't use any rocket science. I am a bowler and my strategy is simple -- don't let the batsmen hit you for a boundary. I keep telling our bowlers not to allow the batsmen to relax. I encourage them to go hard at the batsmen and terrorise them. Earlier, the problem plaguing Karnataka team was the inability to take wickets during the second and third sessions. Spinners would just bowl to contain runs and that hurt the team’s prospects. I have worked hard to change this.
On spinners in the side: I believe Shreyas Gopal is a great find. Many cricketing greats across the country feel that currently he is the only leg-spinner who can bat like a top-order batsmen. Apart from that, we are grooming a few other upcoming talents and one who has caught my eye is J Suchith.
On bowlers contributing with the bat: It was pleasing to see our bowlers going on to hit fifties and hundreds. We give each player a target. Before the start of the season, we had given the target of one hundred and 40 wickets each for Vinay and Mithun. Vinay fortunately went on to slam a century but Mithun came close to achieving it.