Vinayak Samant is a link in an interesting chain of wicketkeepers guiding the Mumbai squads. Sulakshan Kulkarni and Chandrakant Pandit are two seniors making a successful transition from ’keeping to coaching. After coaching the Mumbai U-23s to victory in the CK Nayudu Trophy, the former expressed a preference for players with focus over flair. He also named two players from the U-23 squad who are ready for a higher level.
The 43-year-old was known for his gritty batting lower down the order for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, and handling pressure situations. The U-23 squad was built around players with a similar outlook.
“I prefer players with attitude in my squad, than players with talent. A player with attitude knows what is expected from him, stays focused and does not wait for his teammate to do his job. These qualities rub off on the ones who are talented.”
Mumbai won the 2016 Ranji Trophy with a young squad coached by Pandit. In case the selectors are looking to introduce new faces from the U-23 group, the coach identified Eknath Kerkar and Akash Parker as two cricketers who deserve a serious look. “Jay Bista has already proved his ability among the seniors, so these two can be tried out,” said Samant. “Armaan Jaffer has stylish strokes and attitude. In two years, he will be ready.”
Enjoying the pressureSamant felt Mumbai cricketers coming up the ranks need to enjoy the pressure. “Different players deal with pressure differently. You need to be responsible, enjoy batting or bowling in a tough match situation. The mind then gets busy, thinking about how to deal with the next ball or the length to bowl. The focus shifts to something else and when runs or wickets happen, you enjoy the game.”
Of the coaches he played under, Pandit and Praveen Amre rank in the top two. “Tactically, Chandu (Pandit) was the best; technically, Praveen (Amre) was very good. Chandu-coached teams are always sharp in tactics, while batsmen under Amre become technically sound. He works on so many aspects in training that these batsmen, later while playing a match, find it easy to implement those lessons.”
As wicketkeeper/batsman for Mumbai, Samant was a tough nut to crack. “I did not score much on flat tracks, but enjoyed the contest with bowlers on wickets where the ball turned or seamed.”
Batting at No. 8 in the Ranji Trophy 2006-2007 semifinal against Baroda at the Motibaug ground, his 66 in the second innings is now folklore in Mumbai dressing rooms. Samant typified the attitude of rare quality. Mumbai recovered from zero for five to post 145, and then bowled out Baroda for 173.
“The ball was jagging off the pitch, so once you played the deliveries coming in, leaving the ball moving away was easier. Somebody needed to stay at the wicket,” he recalled.
The Mumbai bowlers got to work and pulled off a miracle win by 63 runs. Samant played in the final, too, which Mumbai won.
