Zonal camps for National Cricket Academy, talent wing is back

MUMBAI: The National Cricket Academy (NCA) based out of Bengaluru and headed by chairman Niranjan Shah and director Dilip Vengsarkar handpicked three head coaches and thirty zonal camp coaches on Wednesday to work across the country in an effort to revamp the coaching manual in the Indian domestic circuit.
Unlike what was being speculated, there would be interviews to pick potential candidates, the NCA officials instead decided to zero-in on individuals who they thought were best suited for the job.In further efforts to boost the domestic coaching system, it was also decided to bring back the Talent Research Development Wing (TRDW) programme a system co-developed and established by Vengsarkar and Makarand Waingankar in 2002 that had proved immensely effective in the last decade in unearthing local talent beyond established cricket centres.
Former India batsman Woorkeri Raman, a deft left-hander with 11 Tests, 27 ODIs and 132 First Class matches to his credit, has been appointed the batting coach while TA Sekar, the fastest Indian bowler in the early 80s who earned his coaching stripes alongside Dennis Lillee at the MRF Pace Academy in Chennai, will head the bowling unit at the NCA. Former India leg-spinner Narendra Hirwani, the slow bowling marvel from Madhya Pradesh, whose 16-136 against West Indies on debut has stood the test of time, will be the spin bowling coach.
Vengsarkar took over as director of the NCA last month, agreeing to the role despite no monetary compensation. It's been the 116-Test veteran's philosophy that coaching ­ at a professional level ­ goes far beyond the parameters of imparting technique to young boys who've already started playing the game. "It's a far bigger responsibility than that as the focus should be on building temperaments and developing mental strength," Vengsarkar has always maintained.
In line with that philosophy, the TRDW will now appoint officers (TRDO) to watch all local matches across the country. Young cricketers from the Under-16 and Under-19 age groups will be monitored at the zonal academies that are being formed and the senior cricketers will engage with Raman, Sekar and Hirwani.
As far as zonal camps are concerned an idea that BCCI president Shashank Manohar has always perceived there will be three coaches for Under-16 and three for Under-19 for each zone, adding up to a total of 30 coaches.
The central academy in Bengaluru may continue to remain there depending on what kind of state it is in right now. Vengsarkar, along with Niranjan Shah and the three head coaches and physio-therapist Andrew Leipus, will be in Bengaluru in the first week of January to inspect the NCA's current state and work on re-establishing the centre.
Baroda, Mohali, Ranchi, Bengaluru and Nagpur are likely to be the final zonal centres for the NCA camps though it's not confirmed yet if these camps will be run on a year-long basis. However, the initiation of zonal camps will mark the exit of NCA's specialised centres that had been lying defunct for all practical purposes these last few years.