Holder to take charge of Maharashtra next month

‘‘It is a very exciting opportunity for me,’’ he told The Indian Express on Thursday from Australia. ‘‘I am looking forward to be there. There is a lot of consistency and continuity I hope to bring around in the Indian domestic circuit and here’s my opportunity to begin with cricket in Maharashtra,’’ he added.

The Australian, who will take charge as Director of Coaching with the MCA, is keen on improving and developing knowledge of the game at the grassroots. ‘‘It (Maharashtra) is such a huge region. I am sure there are a lot of aspects one can look into. Secondly, I want to come down and explore to the fullest the kind of talent available that can be groomed for the future,’’ he said. Though he admitted that the senior team will take priority, he said that ‘‘I would also like to look at the bigger picture and have a detailed look at how things can be worked out with basics in mind.’’

For Darren, there aren’t any names he will be working with. The Aussie knows nothing about the team he will be coaching except that ‘‘cricket has been very popular in this part of the country. If you ask me, the Indian domestic circuit is very interesting. It amazes me — the kind of talent and passion of cricket that is there. I want it to do well, learn well and progress further,’’ he said of his future with Maharashtra cricket.

Also speaking on his recent stint at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) along with Frank Tyson, Darren says, ‘‘I was there for those (Level II and III) courses and found a lot of coaching talent. There were quite a few from Maharashtra too (Mumbai included). I would like to come there and help that talent grow further,’’ he said.

One of NCA’s Level-III coaches from Maharashtra, Atul Gaikwad, is all praise for Holder. ‘‘He will help introduce new methodologies in coaching. To start with, his game-sense training — wherein a match scene is created and coaches work on it — is brilliant,’’ he said. Gaikwad, who is still to find a place in the Maharashtra circuit after finishing his Level III course at the MCA, along with the likes of Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Lalchand Rajput, Venkatesh Prasad and others, is looking forward to spend time with Holder. ‘‘If nothing else, the coaches will benefit a lot as far as confidence-levels are concerned.’’