They Will Be Disappointed, But There Is No Pressure On Them - Bowling Coach Paras Mhambrey On Debutants Ruturaj Gaikwad And Devdutt Padikkal

Paras Mhambrey, India‘s bowling coach for the Sri Lanka tour, said Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devdutt Padikkal, two of the four debutants in the second T20I on Wednesday, are slightly disappointed for not converting their starts, but they will learn with experience.

India were forced to make several changes in the eleven as Krunal Pandya and a total of 8 other players of the squad were placed in isolation after they were deemed as close contacts of Krunal, who tested positive for covid-19 on Tuesday, the original match day.

Gaikwad, opening alongside skipper Shikhar Dhawan, gave India a steady start with his 18-ball 21; Padikkal, batting at number 3, gave the innings impetus in the middle-overs with his 23-ball 29. Both, however, couldn’t convert their innings into a big knock on a difficult batting track.

Paras Mhambrey said the two batters weren’t given any specific instruction regarding their style of playings – despite the fact that India were playing with only five genuine batsmen – contending that, instead, both were given the freedom to play without any pressure on them.

 “When you are going to make your debut for your country, it is always going to be nerves and we know that. The discussion is always to give them a free hand, there is no pressure on them,” Paras Mhambrey said in a virtual interaction after the game. 

“Obviously the situation was such … we knew that in terms of batting, we had only five or six batsmen, that we could plan and go ahead with this game, so we focussed on those. There were no such instructions on how to play, yes they will be disappointed, but every opportunity they get to represent the country, they will learn,” he added.  

I’m very happy with the results that he is getting: Paras Mhambrey

Paras Mhambrey, the former pacer who played 2 Tests and 3 ODIs, is happy to see Kuldeep Yadav’s performance on the tour, especially in the second T20I, where he returned with figures of 2/30, keeping India in the game during the middle-overs of Sri Lanka’s innings.

The bowling coach revealed the planning that had gone in the leg-spinner’s revival before touring the Island, and his future in the national side with the T20 World Cup nearing.

“He (Kuldeep) is a very thinking bowler. They are a lot of discussions we had during the period that we spend before the games together, seen the videos, discussing on the plans, and it all boils down to execution. And so, the credit should be given to him,” Paras Mhambrey said. 

“…he is in and out of the team for a while now, which he knows, he also knows that he needs to work hard to maintain his position which he is doing, so happy to see that.

“And I’m very happy with the results that he is getting. I am sure he will take a lot of positives from this since the T20 World Cup is also around the corner, and it really increases his chances to be part of the squad.”

Also Read: Watch: Wanindu Hasaranga’s Brilliant Response After Rahul Chahar Gives Him A Fiery Send-Off