Prasad: UP and away

Former international seamers Venkatesh,Dermot step out of their comfort zones to take charge of Ranji sides

During the IPL earlier this year Venkatesh Prasad received a phone call from Rajeev Shukla,the influential BCCI official,who was inviting him to be the Uttar Pradesh coach. Though Prasads plate was full,the offer,besides being tempting,seemed pretty challenging. Being Royal Challengers Bangalore coach and the Asian Cricket Councils ACC development officer,a job that took him to non-Test playing nations,had seen Prasad train players from different backgrounds but the former India pacer knew the road up north might have surprises at every turn.

The soft-spoken Prasad was to take charge of a Hindi-speaking team,infamous for its dressing room intrigue and a prominent hierarchical divide. For the 43-year-old,who speaks broken Hindi,it was a big step out from his comfort zone.

I can read and write Hindi but I am not very fluent when talking. Most of these boys may not be very good with English but they do understand the language and the same holds good for me when it comes to Hindi. So it works, Prasad said.

During his first meeting with the team at the Green Park Stadium,Prasad tried to break the ice by introducing himself in Hindi. On Monday,Prasad,one month into his role as coach of the Uttar Pradesh,was at the Nehru Stadium in Ghaziabad,the venue of the teams Ranji Trophy opener against star-studded Delhi.

I have never been to Ghaziabad before. I have played matches at Kanpur but they were short trips. We are also scheduled to play a game in Meerut,another place I have never visited. I am looking forward to traveling within Uttar Pradesh. It is starkly different when compared to where I come from, Prasad said.

The players too are sensing a change. Like never before,a white board is a constant during team meetings and practice sessions. On Tuesday the board read: Success is the sum of small efforts done day in and out. Shortly another team message is jotted down on the white board: Very important notice: UP team meeting at 2:45pm at hotel lobby.

This particular afternoon meeting,according to Prasad,is significant. Speakers from a sports consultancy firm will help the players set individual goals. These goals are going to be set by the players and not the other way around, Prasad said. The new coach also wants to bust what he calls a negative attitude by getting the players to talk in team meetings.

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One of the earliest things I noticed is that the players seem to be suppressed and afraid to express themselves or communicate freely. I want them to feel relaxed. May be it has something to do with how the team was run earlier, the newly appointed coach said.

Last season,a key member of the support staff was warned by a match referee for using the mobile phone in the dressing room during a game,while in another instance the same person didnt turn up at the ground.

Ban on phones

I have banned the use of mobile phones once the team leaves for training. It is one rule for everyone 8211; be it the coach,captain or the junior most member.

Hiring a new video analyst,asking for SG Test cricket grade ball for practice and introducing the baseball mitten are the small but significant changes effected by the new coach. The states chief selector Gopal Sharma believes Prasad has the experience to make a difference. We needed someone with international coaching experience to guide the team. There was a feeling that the team had fallen into poor habits over the past few seasons, Sharma said.

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Ashish Winston Zaidi,UP team manager and Prasad shared a room at the MRF pace foundation during their early days. Venky was always organised and disciplined. When he says practice starts at 9am it means the team reaches the ground at 8.30 and not 9.30. Everyone understands the language of discipline,whether it is in English or Hindi.