CHENNAI: Karnataka needed 138 runs to clinch the U19 Player Personality Development Programme, psychologist helped increase players' confidence says, Sanjeev Rao, MPCA secretary.title. In strike was opener, Annapurana G Bhosale up against Madhya Pradesh captain Soumya Tiwari. After closely watching Annapurana’s ‘meeting point’ (where a batter meets the ball) over a few deliveries, Soumya moved Kanishka Thakur from first slip to shot mid-wicket. And the very next ball, she was caught by Kanisha, the first dismissal of the chase.
Now, it was an instinctive tactical move from the MP U19 skipper, who led them to glory in Ahmedabad on Monday. But, it did not come as a surprise as they had prepared for it behind the scenes. “When we plan for a match, we talk about all the tactics and the things to keep an eye on with the captain and the team. Unlike the senior level, in age-group, we talk a lot more. The game is planned and divised 90 percent off the field and 10 percent is implemented in the ground,” Bhawna Shrivastava, the MP U19 coach told this daily.
When asked if she could get into the details, Bhawna laughs, “If I told everything, what can we use it against other teams on the field.” MP’s title winning campaign is no surprise. After all, they were the finalists in the 2020-21 U-19 one-day trophy. Their dominance — did not lose a single match in U19 T20 — and success is the result of the investment and work that has gone in during the off-season.
Now, Bhawna, a former cricketer, is not new to the coaching set up. She was with the MP team between 2013-2016 before joining Sehwag Cricket Academy. When she joined MPCA ahead of the 2020-21 season, things were different. They had at least 10-12 camps a year where they would work on fitness, off-line courses, match simulations, tactical discussions, etc.
“The skills were always there, but the confidence of the girls was different. We have a Player Personality Development Programme (PPDP), which involves public speaking as well. They were able to express themselves and bond as a team. It made a lot of difference. They were guided well. Rohit Pandit (MPCA CAO) and Chandrakant Pandit (MPCA head coach) were in constant contact and guided us well,” she adds.
The PPDP is the brainchild of Chandrakant. It involves not just cricket, but also to try and understand a player as a person and help them grow confidence. “These are regular features of courses designed by Chandu sir. The players have a fixed schedule. They do nets in the morning then attend PPDP and other classes. It's a continuous process which has been going on since he took over,” Sanjeev Rao, MPCA secretary told this daily.
“We have hired a psychologist. If Chandu feels a player is not able to grasp something or not delivering to their potential, then the psychologist has a one-on-one session with him/her, tries to understand the problem and reasons behind it. These sessions too have been going on for quite some time. This is also being reflected in their performance now.”
Sanjeev also agrees that there is no dearth of talent. He believes that the system that has been built in recent years has reached a stage where it can thrive on its own. “Even the system has such a mechanism that every year it changes depending on the basis of need and want. The game is evolving fast so the coaching manual. So, we will keep incorporating things and removing a few things can be removed. Our target is to develop a foolproof system, which can keep changing according to needs,” he said.
Only three players from Madhya Pradesh are selected among the 52 that were picked to play for four teams in the U19 Women’s T20 Challengers from November 1 in Goa. In fact, Vaishnavi Sharma, who finished as leading wicket-taker (23 wickets in eight games), hasn’t been selected. Reacting to the news, Abhilash Khandekar, MPCA president, said he was taken by surprise as well. “Naturally, we were expecting more players in the team considering our u-19 national title winning performance,” he said.