Discarded stumper Mongia Thailand’s national coach

Finally, the discarded Test wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia is back on the international scene. In his new avatar Mongia is the coach of the Thai...

Finally, the discarded Test wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia is back on the international scene. In his new avatar Mongia is the coach of the Thailand national team, which is preparing for the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Trophy scheduled to be held at Kuala Lumpur in mid-June.

So does this mean that the Baroda ’keeper has given up hope of being recalled for the Indian team ? ‘‘Not at all, I am here on a one-and-a-half month assignment. I will be back,’’ he clarifies from Bangkok when The Indian Express contacted him. Mongia, who came under scrutiny after the match-fixing episode but was later exonerated, added that, ‘‘coaching is nothing new for me as I have been training kids in Baroda.’’

So how did he land this international offer? ‘‘Actually, it was a surprise when they (Thai Cricket Association) approached me. My father was unwell, so I took a couple of days to decide,’’ he says. After being out of the Indian team for four years, Mongia is happy to be in the thick of things again. ‘‘It is always good to pass one’s experience to youngsters. And besides the players here are keen to learn,’’ he says.

Story continues below this ad

Besides the main Thai team, the former India stumper has additional responsibility of looking after their under-19 squad. Mongia is satisfied with his new job but says there are few wickets for practice in Bangkok. ‘‘There are just two turf wickets in Bangkok, and they are used only for playing matches. Because of this we have to practice on astroturf.’’

The ACC event, which Mongia’s wards are preparing, will be the qualifying tournament for the ICC World Cup to be held later. And at Kuala Lumpur, Mongia is likely to meet his former India teammate Robin Singh, who happens to be the coach of the Hong Kong team.