MUMBAI: Under pressure after Mumbai's disastrous show in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, coach Amol Muzumdar on Tuesday requested the Mumbai Cricket Association president Vijay Patil to provide the team with a sport psychologist, and "a few practice ties" in Kolkata, before the team launches its Ranji Trophy campaign there.
"In a meeting of the coaches and selectors with the MCA president Vijay Patil today, Muzumdar requested for a psychologist for the side, as he felt that some of the younger players needed to develop that mindset of winning tournaments. He said that while the process and preparation of the team was right, the execution wasn't, as the players didn't perform to their potential," a source told TOI.
With the Ranji Trophy set to kick off on January 13, the Mumbai team is supposed to reach Kolkata on January 8. However, in a meeting to discuss the reasons for Mumbai's disastrous show in the Vijay Hazare Trophy recently, Muzumdar requested that the team be allowed to leave earlier, by January 2 or 3 to enable it to play "one or two practice ties."
"He wants that the Mumbai team to reach Kolkata a bit earlier to play a few practice ties, so that they're used to the conditions there before the Ranji begins. He said he's spoken to Arun Lal (Bengal head coach) about it. The Cricket Association of Bengal is open to the idea" revealed the source. "His requests will be considered in the next Apex Council meeting on December 28," he added.
Meanwhile, the MCA is has approached former skipper Dilip Vengsarkar to take over as mentor of the beleaguered team, which crashed out at the league stage in the white-ball tournaments this season. "Patil, who has been left 'disheartened' with the Mumbai team's shoddy show, made a call to Vengsarkar, and will meet him in a day or two. Even if Vengsarkar speaks to the boys and shares his experience, that would help," said the source, who attended the MCA's emergent Apex Council meeting caused by Mumbai's early exit in the Hazare Trophy. The idea to appoint a "renowned cricketer as a mentor to boost the morale of the Mumbai senior men's team" was mooted a few days back by MCA treasurer Jagdish Achrekar in an email to Patil.
