Bengaluru: Former Karnataka captain R Vinay Kumar has been appointed as the head coach of the state's senior team, a move he believes will bring success to the team that has been struggling to replicate his own achievements.
Vinay, who is set to begin his maiden senior domestic team assignment, has pointed out that the team's failure to win trophies is not due to a lack of talent, but rather a lack of attitude. "Talent was never a problem, we have plenty of it. I can vouch for it, having observed both as a coach in Maharaja Trophy and as a scout," he said.
The 42-year-old Vinay, who has served as a talent scout for Mumbai Indians for about four seasons, believes that his experience as a scout and franchise coach has given him a unique understanding of the team's strengths and shortcomings. "That will be the biggest advantage for me because as a scout, I've been watching them very closely for the last 4-5 years. As the Hubli Tigers coach, I got to work with some of them and watch most of the others closely," he explained.
Vinay's appointment as head coach comes as Karnataka looks to bounce back from a disappointing Ranji Trophy campaign. The team finished runners-up to Jammu & Kashmir in the previous edition of the tournament, and Vinay believes that success will help the players individually. "Everything is taken care of once the team starts winning. The best example is Auqib Nabi who came into the Indian team recently on the strength of his performance for J&K," he said.
Vinay will be assisted by his former teammate Deepak Chougale as the fielding coach, and the two will work together to bring about a change in the team's attitude. "We would love to win many trophies, which is the end result to achieve. For that, we need to tick all the boxes," Vinay said.
The Karnataka team has a strong support staff, with Vinay's former teammates Ganesh Satish, Kunal Kapoor, and Raajoo Bhatkal also on board. Vinay believes that this will help in maintaining a supply chain of players and communicating better with the coaches and support staff.
Vinay's appointment as head coach has been ratified by the KSCA managing committee, and he is set to begin his new role soon. "It's a great feeling to start my domestic cricket coaching journey with Karnataka, where I played most of my cricket and made some great memories," he said.
As Vinay prepares to take on the new challenge, he remains confident that his experience as a scout and franchise coach will give him an edge. "I know about other state players as well in terms of upcoming players and what they are working on and also their mindset. That I feel will give me an edge," he added.
Vinay's first task as head coach will be to assess the team's strengths and weaknesses and work on a strategy to bring about success. With his experience and knowledge of the team, he is confident that he can lead Karnataka to victory.
Source: Yahoo Sports