JOIN USApart from Mumbai, who ended a two-year drought to clinch the title, the team that drew attention in the 2015-16 edition of the Ranji Trophy was Assam. The minnows of domestic cricket scripted an inspiring performance to reach the semifinal and the man guiding a bunch of young talents was Sanath Kumar.
It was a historic moment for Assam cricket but despite the success, Sanath was axed by the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) the very next season. The new management asked the 53-year-old to accept a contract with a pay cut and after his refusal to accept the deal, ACA replaced him with Sunil Joshi for the 2016-17 season. Currently coaching Andhra, Sanath felt he was let down by the ACA.
“I was actually disappointed with the way it ended because the previous management literally forced me to continue. Suddenly there were elections and when the new management took a decision like that it was too late for me. I was in a situation where I would have been without a job. It was very nice of Andhra to rope me in,” he told DH.
One of the hallmarks of Sanath’s coaching career is his success with smaller teams. Before taking Assam to the knockouts, Sanath coached the Baroda side that won the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament in the 2013-14 edition. The build-up to the fresh season has been good for Andhra, who triumphed in the KSCA Dr (Capt) K Thimmappiah Memorial Cricket tournament here at the Chinnaswamy stadium.
“First thing I do with players in smaller teams is to make them feel comfortable. What I have seen with these teams is that there are lot of inhibitions, especially about playing bigger teams and the players tend to go into a shell. Of course I help them technically also but more than that I do a lot of things that make them feel much better. I also back the player. Once I identify a good player I back him well,” he offered.
Sanath expressed a desire to return to coach Karnataka. Under him, Karnataka enjoyed a dream Ranji season in 2009-10 before missing the title by a whisker in the final against Mumbai in Mysuru.
“Yes I want to come back to Karnataka because it is my State. I really want to contribute. But there is always some difference of opinion,” he said.
Sanath felt it was time to bring in more new faces in the Karnataka team which hasn’t won a title for two years. “I think 90 percent of the players made their debut under me in 2009. So it’s been a long time. Time has come to bring in new faces. But definitely there is a lot of talent and they have the capacity to win again.”