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MP Singh: Laying the road to success

Tanmoy Mookherjee | Cricketnext.com

Posted on May 29, 2008 at 16:17 | Updated May 29, 2008 at 16:46

Players play the game and the coaches coach. That the coaches narrate stories with remarkable reminiscence warrants judicious praise.

Anil Kumble's tryst with cricket began with what he was seen doing against Pakistan in the Bangalore Test last year — bowling medium pace. Had it not been for MP Singh's timely intervention, Murali Kartik would have ended up doing the same, and ended up much worse.

Then 13, Kartik, a tall, wiry left-arm seamer caught MP Singh's fancy as he convinced the youngster's father to enroll him at the National Stadium Cricket Academy in the heart of the Capital. Bowling at the nets against some formidable names in first-class cricket, Kartik got his first taste of the harsh side of the game: he was smacked all around.

Left-arm swing bowlers were certainly not the way to go in Indian cricket back then. Even a mediocre left-arm spinner would gobble up wickets in friendly conditions. Kartik's father fumed at his suggestion, saying that he was rather accurate bowling seam-up and he had performance to show. "Not here," was the coach's reply, and his persistence was rewarded with Kartik's showing thereon.

"Delhi didn't utilise his services much. On my insistence, he shifted to the Railways," MP Singh recalls as that move saw Kartik make his Test debut against South Africa during his first season in 2000.

Coaches extend their assistance by way of not just motivating pupils but also by making them take fortune-changing decisions. MP Singh is one such man.

Having graduated from the National Institute of Sports (NIS), he ploughed through a mundane lifestyle at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Allahabad, having to do barely two to three months of work and watching the rest of the year go by.

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

In 1989, Gurcharan Singh, National Stadium's then head coach, requested SAI for the assistance of three coaches to meet with the bustling demands of the students. "I wanted to join there as I wasn't satisfied with my position in Allahabad; the amount of cricket played was already less, and getting basic equipment for students was a nuisance," MP Singh recollects.

Practical in his outlook, MP Singh is grateful of the opportunity presented to him. "Without doubt, this is the best place to learn cricket. There is no dearth of facilities here. We conduct trials on the 7th of every month. We train even during the monsoon," he says, even as the stadium is not available due to renovation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He would have to impart the finer aspects of the game at the Central Secretariat Grounds until then.

The opportunity also enabled him to interact and learn the more intricate details to coaching from one of the best in the business. "His (Gurcharan Singh) coaching style definitely rubbed off on me, as did spending time with the likes of Maninder Singh and Kirti Azad."

Previous articles on Gurus of Cricket

Gursharan Singh: Doing a good turn to many

Tarak Sinha: The unsung hero

Gurcharan Singh: great master with adaptability

Dinesh Lad: The burnisher behind the scenes

Manabendra Ghosh: From coach to mentor

Achrekar 'Sir': Champion maker at dusk

As was the case with Murali Kartik, a bevy of aspirants have been elevated to higher grounds. He names at least 20, with the latest entrant to domestic cricket stardom being Parvinder Awana, whose hat-trick in the semi-final of the Ranji Trophy was instrumental in Delhi's march to the title they hadn't won in 16 years. Having been backed to the hilt by a coach only concerned with pushing his wards to reach for the stars, Awana's case is not just luck and pluck, even though he made his Ranji debut only a month ago.

Just as his devotion to the game, his students make sure they spend as much time as they can under his keen eye. "Kartik comes to me every time before going for a tour. Even prior to the CB series in Australia, he was bowling at the nets.

"(Mahendra Singh) Dhoni, who played under me during his Under-22 days, has been a regular since then. He refused to go home after a domestic tournament and chose to practise a bit more at the National Stadium," he reveals.

However, unlike some who pledge allegiance to the textbook, MP Singh appreciates the modern game resulting from the boom in Twenty20 cricket, as well as the IPL. "Since the introduction of T20, there is more excitement even among students. Even the standards have improved because they are keen.

"Be it any kind of cricket, you can only hit the ball by coming in the line. Certainly, the so-called 'agricultural shots' are being frequented. But if you take a closer look, batsmen like Misbah-ul-Haq, who pull it off successfully, also get out playing those strokes," he says, hinting at the Pakistan batsman's vagaries.

He also suggests wholesale makeovers for the coaching system. "I have been impressed by the National Cricket Academy's (NCA) new set-up and their training programmes. In fact, every state should have an NCA-style set-up."

Even his suggestions have a hint of endearment towards young cricketers. "This should start from the junior level itself. There is pressure in every match," he says, adding the importance of psychological assistance, particularly impressed by the ways of Sandeep Patil. "Coaches should be highly qualified to handle them with care, should be polite. But they shouldn't relent in taking them to task when needed."