Colts first, thoroughbreds wait

When medium-pacer Kshemal Waingankar sought out Chappell one evening to help with his run-up, the Aussie immediately walked back out on to the field with the youngster. For the next 20 minutes he gave him tips on the finer points of bowling.

That gesture left its mark on the boy. ‘‘Anybody can just walk up to him and he’s always helpful,’’ Waingankar said.

Indeed, this whole time has been a different experience for these youngsters as they’ve shared gymnasiums and training centres with the players they idolise. The exercises and fitness drills being performed by the senior cricketers are also being followed by the trainees under Chappell’s direction.

The new coach also watched a couple of matches between the NCA and the Karnataka State Cricket Academy (KSCA).

He spoke to a couple of batsmen, at the end of the day — explaining to them a few points.

‘‘He spent some time watching me bowl’’, said Abid Nabi Ahengar, the fast bowler from Jammu and Kashmir. ‘‘He was asking about my performances in the last domestic season.’’

‘‘He was telling me about my stance — particularly how I held the bat while facing a fast bowler’’, said Andhra Pradesh’s Gyaneshwar Rao. ‘‘He also asked me to watch him as he demonstrated a couple of actions.’’

Others who have benefited from his advice are Karnataka medium-pacer Vinay Kumar and under-19 batsman Robin Uthappa.

And of course his words come with the weight of wisdom and experience. ‘‘The vital aspect of his teaching is the respect that he commands’’, says the NCA’s fielding coach Rajesh Kamat. ‘‘The boys have heard so much about him that they just can’t afford to ignore what he says.’’