Reeve,Maharashtra in be positive mode

Opener Chirag Khurana recalls an unusual conversation he had with Dermot Reeve,soon after he had taken over as Maharashtra coach

Opener Chirag Khurana recalls an unusual conversation he had with Dermot Reeve,soon after he had taken over as Maharashtra coach. It was tea during a practice game. Khurana had just sent down a few uneventful overs of part-time off spin. Dermot told me to visualise bowling the best spell of my life,turning the ball like never before and beating batsman, says Khurana. I just did it for the heck of it and it actually came through. Khurana dismissed two batsmen during the final session,both caught in the slips.

Its this sort of positive thinking that Reeve hopes to instill in his players. I want my players to strike up positive conversations with me and other people,glean positive points from these conversations and use them to better their game, he says.

Reeve is familiar with the Maharashtra players,having viewed them closely during his stint as coach of the Raigad Royals in the Maharashtra Premier League. Ive worked with most of the boys in the MPL and it was great to come back and see them all fitter and stronger, he says. The team has been progressing over the past three years and I think we can go all the way.

Last season,Maharashtra topped their Plate group and reached the Ranji quarterfinals. Winning the tournament this time,Reeve says,isnt really far-fetched.

If I dont have the goal of winning the Ranji Trophy,I am not thinking like a leader. I need to radiate the belief that this team has what it takes, he says. People laughed at me when I was at Warwickshire and said I wanted to win everything. One season later we almost did that. In 1994,captained by Reeve and coached by Bob Woolmer,Warwickshire won three out of the four major English domestic titles.

In the quest for Ranji progress,Reeve is prepared to try all sorts of tactics. Considering his teams strengths,he says he might even ask for flat home tracks and play for first innings lead. You put out a green-top and then its a lottery, he says. I am here to win and if we need to bat our way to victory,I am prepared to do it.

Self belief

In a bid to instill belief in his team,Reeve has outlawed the use of words like hopefully,but and maybe. If any of my players say that they are hopeful of winning the Ranji Trophy then I am not going to be very happy. I am on a mission here to weed out all the uncertainty. he says. When you tell a batsman to go out and smash a ball but also play sensibly,you are sucking out all the positive energy in the message.

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The players,according to skipper Rohit Motwani,are getting used to Reeves quest for positivity. Dermot told us first day that he wasnt a thik hai person, says Motwani. He wanted us to be bahut badhiya or bahut acche. The guys are warming up to him.

Foreign hands

Apart from Maharashtra,three other teams have looked abroad to augment their coaching staff.

Nuwan Zoysa Consultant,Goa

Goa have roped in former Sri Lanka left-arm seamer Nuwan Zoysa as consulting coach. The 34-year-old has spent 10 days with the team as they prepare for the Ranji Trophy season. 8220;Presently I am busy with coaching a domestic club in Sri Lanka,8221; Zoysa said. 8220;Once that assignment is over I will seriously consider coaching Goa for an extended period of time.8221;

Kaushik Patel Coach,Andhra Andhra have hired Kaushik Patel as their coach for the 2012-13 domestic campaign. Patel,born in Kenya,is a British national. The 49-year-old is the brother of former New Zealand Test cricketer Dipak Patel.

Meyrick Pringle Coach,Raj

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Former South African fast bowler Meyrick Pringle,who was appointed Rajasthan8217;s bowling coach midway through last season,has been promoted to the head coach post. Pringle has earlier had coaching stints with the Netherlands and Namibia.