Balwinder Sandhu to be NCA's Head Coach

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI, MARCH 7. Balwinder Singh Sandhu will be the Head Coach of the National Cricket Academy. His appointment will be ratified at the full meeting of the NCA in Pune on March 27, a day before the second one-day international between India and Australia.

The coaches are likely to be Kenia Jayantilal, who went to West Indies in 1971 and former India offspinner Arshad Ayub. Since the India Junior coach Roger Binny lives in Bangalore, he will be part of the overall NCA programme. Rajesh Kamat is likely to retained as assistant coach.

Sandhu's name was approved on Wednesday at an NCA meeting attended by Messrs. Raj Singh Dungarpur, Polly Umrigar and Sunil Gavaskar at a private club in South Mumbai. The Bangalore based- NCA will now function under the overall supervision of the Chairman, Mr. Raj Singh Dungarpur and Vice- Chairman, Mr. Dyaneshwar Agashe. The NCA committee has decided to do away with the position of Director which was held in the inaugural year by Mr. Hanumant Singh.

The 44-year-old Sandhu, who shot into fame because of the famous ball he bowled to West Indian Gordon Greenidge in the 1983 World Cup final at Lord's, played eight Tests for India was associated with the successfull BCA-Mafatlal bowling scheme for over three years. He and Jayantilal assisted former England fast bowler, Frank Tyson, in running the programme at the Oval maidan in the city. The two also went to Melbourne for a coaching certificate course.

Thereafter Sandhu was coach of the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team for two seasons 1996-97 and 97-98 during which Mumbai regained the Ranji Trophy and won five more titles. He was succeeded by Ashok Mankad. The Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) employed him as coach at the start of the current season and for the first time in so many years Maharashtra took the first innings lead against Mumbai in the West Zone Ranji league match played at Kolhapur last December.

Sandhu has also conducted clinics for junior and senior coaches of Maharashtra in order to bring in uniformity in coaching. Recently he and former administrator of the Elf- Vengsarkar Cricket Academy, Makarand Waingankar, organised a one- week seminar for coaches in Pune. Since Sandhu will be required at the NCA for only four months, he will be allowed to continue as coach of the Maharashtra Ranji Trophy team.

The NCA committee has also finalised the panel of coaches for the zonal academies. Each zonal academy will be headed by a senior cricketer. Nari Contractor is favoured to be in-charge of the West Zone academy in Mumbai. The head coach in Mumbai is likely to be former India stumper Kiran More. Mumbai's new ball bowler in the 1970s, Abdul Ismail Hemant Kanitkar and opening batsman Lalchand Rajput have been short listed as assistant coaches for the West Zone academy.

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