07 May,2014 11:14 AM IST | | Harit N Joshi
Newly-appointed coach believes 40-time Ranji champs will get back to winning ways
Praveen Amre
Mumbai's newly-appointed coach Praveen Amre is confident that the 40-time Ranji Trophy champions will bounce back in the forthcoming season.
Praveen Amre
Amre, who won Mumbai three Ranji titles in his four-year tenure, was on Monday appointed as coach by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). And he is aware of the challenges that lie ahead of him.
"This team is quite different from the side I first coached in 2006. I am aware of the ground realities. But it is not impossible for Mumbai to bounce back.
I am confident we will rise, but it is not just me who can make the difference. It will be a joint effort from everyone. I will be meeting the MCA officials on Wednesday to discuss what my plans are and how we will go about it," Amre told mid-day yesterday.
Transition phase
These are trying times for Mumbai cricket. The team is in transition with a few senior players retired while some have left for other states. After managing to barely qualify for the knockout rounds, Mumbai lost to Maharashtra in the Ranji quarter-finals at the Wankhede. This loss led to the removal of coach Sulakshan Kulkarni.
India 'A' coach Lalchand Rajput, who is also an MCA Managing Committee member, was asked to take over the reins for the remainder of the season. The result was nothing different with Mumbai failing to qualify for the main rounds in the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-dayers and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament.
The MCA has reposed faith in Amre, who last coached Mumbai in 2010-11. "It is a huge honour and a privilege to be a part of the Mumbai team again. However, I do not want to talk much at this juncture.
I will first hold a meeting with the MCA officials and take it forward from there. I want everybody to be on the same page as me. Only then can we move in the right direction," Amre signed off.
