Self-belief, change in work ethics, spending more time on the ground, believing in each other's ability and helping each other. These are the five commandments prescribed by Sunil Joshi, former India left-arm spinner and present coach of the Hyderabad Ranji team, to achieve success.
After guiding Hyderabad back into the Elite Group in the Ranji Trophy, this articulate and hard-working coach is now focusing on an improved performance by his team in the All India Vizay Hazare Trophy limited-over cricket tournament in Delhi from March 5.
“It was a team effort. When I took over as the coach, not many gave the team a chance. But, I am glad that when pushed to the wall, the boys came up with a consistent effort to prove critics wrong,” Joshi told The Hindu on Friday.
Everyone contributed
“What really impressed me was the way everyone contributed to the team's cause under pressure. It would be unfair to name just a few as those responsible for Hyderabad's remarkable comeback into the Elite Group,” he said.
“Arjun Yadav played a great innings in Nagpur against Vidarbha. Then Akshath Reddy, Ibrahim Khaleel and Quadri were excellent throughout the season.
“Anwar, Kaneshkk and Lalith Mohan bowled consistently. Mehdi Hasan also chipped in. And it was not just the players but also the support-staff who helped,” said Joshi.
“Even in the K.S. Subbiah Pillai Trophy in Bangalore recently, many felt that Hyderabad would not make an impact. But we just told ourselves that we are here to do our best. The logic was simple — play to potential,” Joshi said.
All-round brilliance
“And, the fact that we beat a champion side like Tamil Nadu and scored big wins in high-scoring matches to finish second, showed the all-round brilliance of this team. Ravi, Akshat and Ashish batted brilliantly and Ojha is a totally different bowler now, leading the attack.”
So, now on the eve of the Vizay Hazare Trophy, I will only say that we are determined to give a tough fight and not lag behind in commitment or hard work,” Joshi.
“The boys have shown lot of maturity in batting when chasing big scores and also in bowling when defending low scores. The confidence level is certainly high,” he said.
“Frankly, I am enjoying every moment of my stint. The hunger to succeed is evident and that is the biggest positive of this team,” Joshi said.
Joshi has high expectations from rookie fast bowler Ravi Kiran, who was picked straight from the HCA Academy to the State team. “This is great news for the academy and I wish it contributes many more players,” Joshi said.
