Chennai: The search for talent has begun in the camp of Mumbai Indians, the reigning IPL champions, ahead of fresh auction in February 2014. Paras Mhambrey, assistant coach of Mumbai Indians, was not just having an eye on MI wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik during the third-day of the TN-Rajasthan clash at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium; he was also on duty to spot talent.
He said that the main purpose of the hunt was to gain a perspective on first-class cricketers. “We’re well versed with cricketers from the West and a few from the South. We haven’t seen a great deal of Rajasthan players, so we thought of having a look at them in Chennai,” he added.
“Under the supervision of Anil Kumble, Robin Singh, former left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi and I travel to various parts of the country and keep track of people who are doing well. We see whether they are capable of fitting into our scheme of things,” said Mhambrey, 41.
One curious aspect of the nationwide search is the scouts at the moment only watch players in the longer version of the game. How would they know that a prospective candidate is good at T20? “It’s just about getting to know them. We would see their intent be it batting or bowling and analyse their style. At times we judge a player by his capacity to perform under pressure and in some cases one could sense the X-factor in a player,” said Mhambrey, who is into scouting for nearly five years.
Ambati Rayudu of Mumbai Indians is among players who have used the IPL to earn a national call-up. “We have seen Rayudu for a long time and we were confident that he would do the job for us. That’s why we backed him. We have seen the results and his progress to the Indian team. Saurabh Tiwary was another unknown commodity until he represented Mumbai Indians. He also went on to play for India,” he added.
Mumbai Indians and Sachin Tendulkar no doubt go hand in hand.
The master blaster, who has retired from all forms of cricket, is expected to be part of the MI dressing room. “I don’t know what role he will opt for but he will certainly be involved with the team. One can’t take Sachin away from Mumbai Indians. He has given his best for the team. The players have a lot to learn from his experience and expertise,” he said.
