Pravin Amre is new Mumbai coach for next two seasons

Mumbai, Aug 21 (UNI) Former India player Pravin Amre was today appointed as the Mumbai Ranji Trophy cricket team coach for a period of two seasons.

Announcing this decision to mediapersons after a marathon 90 minute meeting of the Cricket Improvement Committee of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), its chairman Madhav Apte said that Amre was chosen for his good man management skills as well as his vast experience.

Apte further said that with Amre, who has been the batting consultant for the Mumbai team, being appointed as the coach, the appointment of a bowling coach for the team was a possibility.

Apte also did not foresee any problems in Amre having to deal with the senior players. His skills at being able to keep the team together and make them play as one team was one of the reasons he was given the job, the chairman told newspersons.

The chairman said that with Amre in the saddle, there could also be a possibility that a lot of younger players would make the Ranji Trophy grade under his guidance.

Apte, to a question about Amre's say in selection matters, said that we have always had a policy of consulting the coach and taking his views into account when it comes to selecting the team and that would stay the same.

On the exact reasons which tipped the scales in Amre's favour defeating the other candidates like Ashok Mankad, Balwinder Singh Sandhu and Jayantilal, Apte said that all the candidates were very well qualified, but then we thought Amre would be able to do justice to the job of a coach. ''In a cricket team eleven players are selected with some others, who are also good players, losing out. It was the same here with the others losing out in favour of Amre,'' he added.

On the two-season term, Apte said it was not right to judge a coach on just one season's performance. He should at least be given two years time to prove his worth and therefore we have appointed him for two seasons.

Members of the CIC Milind Rege, Dilip Vengsarkar and Lalchand Rajput were also present at the press briefing.

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