CAPE TOWN: “GO away, go away,” Troy Cooley says loudly to Renuka Singh with a smile in one of the nets at Maties Oval in Stellenbosch. They both were happy as Renuka left the net, and Cooley moved on to oversee other bowlers.
They had been working on her seam position, the release position and variations. And as she bowled one after another depending on what Cooley asked her to, there was a word of appreciation or a discussion of sorts depending on whether she got it right. The moment Singh bowled every ball as expected, Cooley did not want her to overdo it. That’s when he asked her to go away.
“The girls have been working very hard since they arrived here. Their skills are in a good place. So today (Tuesday) was about topping them up, having them mentally and physically fresh for tomorrow (Wednesday),” said Cooley in the pre-match press conference ahead of the T20 World Cup clash against West Indies.
“We come into these situations, they let me know what they're working on, what they want to try and once they get that, then the physical part of their preparation is looked after as well. So, we pack them up, their skills are ready, their minds ready and they're physically ready. So, they're the sort of conversations that we have,” the Australian elaborated.
Now, Cooley, who was the bowling coach of England men during their historic 2005 Ashes victory, was brought on as fast bowling coach at the National Cricket Academy in January 2022. Since then, he has been working with the Indian bowlers at the NCA during several camps, including Shikha Pandey, Arundhati Reddy and Monica Patel to name a few. And every bowler who got to work with him has spoken about how much they have benefited from him. Which is why it came as no surprise when the BCCI brought him to South Africa as the bowling coach for the tri-series and T20 World Cup after sending Ramesh Powar, who was the head coach, back to the NCA.
And it was evident during the net sessions as well. Before the bowlers got to the nets, there was a group meeting with Cooley. In what was at least a 15-20 minute long session, there was a lot of laughter, some intense discussion with individuals on how they bowled in the previous match and things they will have to keep in mind the next time around. Ask what topics were talked about and he keeps it simple. “Oh, well, all the good conversations around how we're going to take the West Indies down,” he smiles. “Just things that we were doing well, things that we need to concentrate on and their super strengths.”
For him, having known the players and worked with them before at the NCA has come in handy at the top level. The focus for Cooley since he joined the team in South Africa has been on ensuring that the bowlers’ strengths are ready to go. And the tactical part of it as well; some of the on-field decisions made during the ODI World Cup last year had cost them dearly. “Obviously, the tactics are pretty important during a World Cup. You know, we're coming up against some teams for the first time and the second time. So we're really working on the thinking part and the tactical part.”
As Cooley prepares the bowling unit to take charge, it is still not clear if Smriti Mandhana will play on Wednesday. She opted to train with a lighter bat and focused on not being tentative. The opener had a long discussion with the trainer and physio and did not take part in the fielding drills. Despite skipper Harmanpreet Kaur opting out of training, Cooley said that she is fit and ready to lead. And while they are confident about Mandhana, the team management will take a call before the game.
Irrespective of whether she plays or not, it is safe to say Cooley and Co. have prepared well to "take down" the Caribbean. Beware West Indies, India are keeping their cards close to their chest.