Vinayak Samant named as new coach of Mumbai Ranji team

Vinayak Samant/AFP

Former Mumbai stumper Vinayak Samant has been appointed as the new coach of the Mumbai Ranji team for the upcoming season. The Mumbai Cricket Association also appointed Wilkin Mota as the coach of its Under 19 team. The announcements were made by MCA Joint Secretary Unmesh Khanvilkar after the cricket body's Cricket Improvement Committee met here for two days to decide on the new coach.

The vacancy arose after former India stumper Sameer Dighe quit just after one season as the Mumbai coach. Mota succeeds Satish Samant as the under 19 coach. "The CIC has decided that Vinayak Samant will be the coach for Ranji team and Wilkin Mota for the Under 19 team," Khanvilkar told reporters here. Samant pipped former Rajasthan cricketer Pradeep Sundaram and former India off spinner Ramesh Powar, who were in the race.

The 46-year-old Samant, who played 101 first class games, had amassed 3,496 runs, with the highest score of 200 not out. Samant, who represented Mumbai and Tripura, on his part said that it was a big responsibility. "I'm very glad and very happy, but at the same time I
know that it's a very big responsibility on me. I'm sure that I will fulfil with very positive results. So I'm hoping my presence will benefit players as well as the association. Let's hope for best," Samant said. Under Samant, who was former Mumbai U23 coach, Mumbai
had won the U23 championship.

Asked why Powar was not considered, Khanvilkar said, "They (Managing Committee) had said that there were some issues. There is a Managing Committee resolution that those who quit the job will not be considered again." Powar had quit as the spin bowling coach of the MCA academy mid-way earlier this year.

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