‘Dravid never took credit, allowed Rohit and players to be in front; Bumrah is a leader in Team India’: Paras Mhambrey
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Paras Mhambrey was an integral part of the Indian coaching staff that played a crucial role in ending the nation's 11-year wait for an ICC title. Hindustan Times caught up with the former India bowling coach, who has finally managed some family time after being on the road for three years. Mhambrey shared his experience of working with Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma, his thoughts on why Jasprit Bumrah is a born leader, the evolution of Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj, the bench strength of the Indian fast bowling unit and more...
Excerpts...
Has the T20 World Cup victory sunk in yet?
It took a little while. It happens once in your career, a once-in-a-lifetime moment. We couldn't leave the Caribbean because of the cyclone for the first few days (after the T20 World Cup win). When we finally travelled back home, the first thing was the meeting with the PM. Then, the kind of reception we got in Mumbai was unimaginable. It showed us what the Cup really meant for the nation. This win was for all of us.
What worked for India in this World Cup?
In terms of the preparation, I thought we were spot on. There was a lot of thought process behind it. I would take you a little back, maybe T20 World Cup in Australia (in 2022). The way things ended there in the semi-finals was obviously not pleasing. That was a heartbreaker for us. Things changed from then on. Everyone in the team, the support staff, Rahul (Dravid), Vicky (Vikram Rathour), Rohit (Sharma), myself, and, you know, some of the senior guys saying, what is the way we want to go ahead? What is our way ahead from here? What do we need to do differently? We've been very consistent throughout the years. Reaching the semi-finals, the finals. So that shows that we are playing good cricket. But we needed to do something differently to make sure that we get our hands on that ICC trophy that has eluded us for a long time.
It's just the way people rose to the challenge saying that this is the way we want to go ahead and obviously then have everyone on board to believe that this is the right way for us was heartening. Unless and until, you have each and every individual in that dressing room on the same page (It's difficult)... Every individual got the backing of the head coach and the captain. You need to take risks in this format. If you don't do that, you struggle. But there's always a chance that it may not come off. But if you have the backing from the captain and the coach, you go out there fearlessly and play that game. I think that complete backing from Rahul and Rohit really made the difference.
What did the dressing room feel when SA needed 30 off 30 in the final with Miller and Klaasen still batting?
I'd be lying if I say we were confident about winning the game (from that situation). When you have a game hanging where you have 30 balls, 30 to get, with six wickets in hand. And with one of the world's top T20 batters, Heinrich Klaasen batting, you can't help but worry. The quality of the shots that he played was so impactful. We thought if this guy bats for 12 or 15 more balls, this game would completely go away from us. We were a little nervous. We desperately felt the need for Klaasen's wicket. Miller was there but that would open one end up. We knew they didn't have enough depth in their batting. When Hardik Pandya bowled that one one, Klaasen thought there was four written all over it, but got an outside edge. That made Miller the one army. Credit to Rohit and the bowlers for handling the pressure.
Whenever India were under pressure, Rohit threw the ball to Bumrah and he delivered. How does he do it so often?
One word comes to my mind, that is magical. He's it's brilliant, isn't he? He is a once-in-a-generation bowler, no doubt about it. It's his skills and adaptability because he does it in all three formats, not only in T20s. He's No.1 in all three formats right now. Having skills is one thing, but executing them every time is another. Credit goes to his non-match day routines. If you look at his work ethic, you will see that he's extremely focused. The ability to bowl the right ball at the right time doesn't come overnight. He does it nine out of 10 times.
Does he have a negative bone in his body?
It's just the confidence that he has in his ability. He's never in doubt. That reflects in the way you see him on the ground. And that's because of his leadership skills. He is an out-and-out leader in the team. You need someone like him. Someone who has so much experience, you want him to share that experience with the other kids around. Whenever I see Jasprit Bumrah, I see a leader on the ground.
Sometimes, it's easy to say a lot of things and not follow through. But he's a guy who will say it and then show everyone how to do it. People on the team know he's a guy who does what he says—walks the talk.
Speaking of the next generation, how do you see the growth of Arshdeep Singh? Can he break into the Test team?
There's no reason why he can't. When I first saw Arshdeep in U19 cricket, he was a strong lad who knew how to shape the ball. Pace is important, but getting the ball to move is crucial. Someone like Trent Boult has shown that at the international level, you don't have to be express pace,. if you have the ability to move the ball, you can be equally effective. I think Arsh has that skill.
What about Siraj? Is he India's best all-format bowler after Bumrah now?
One of the reasons he's able to sustain so much is his fitness. He can be at the batters day in and day out because of his great fitness regime. When he first came in, he had a lot of control with the red ball but wasn't that consistent with the white ball. The margin for error is less in ODIs and T20Is. Hitting the length consistently was his plus point, so he worked on that even in white-ball cricket.
Does India have the bench strength in fast bowling?
I want to see how Prasidh (Krishna) progresses. That's one name that comes to mind. He has shown a lot of potential. Tall guy. He's very different from the others. Hits the deck hard. You need to have bowlers to use different conditions. He is one bowler who can be of use in Australia, South Africa and add a lot of variety to the attack.
There is Kuldeep Sen. He has an x-factor. He is another tall guy with the ability to generate pace, but both he and Prasidh are struggling with fitness.
Mayank Yadav is a recent case of someone who has stormed the IPL. Raw pace. Again, someone who has fitness issues. We have to manage them. Whatever little I saw of Mohsin Khan, I was very impressed. A tall left-armer, generates a lot of bounce. Obviously, Umran Malik is also there. Apart from Avesh, Harshit, Mukesh, and the others on the team, I feel these are the guys we should look forward to.
What was working with Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid like?
My association with Rahul is a long one. I worked with him for India A, U19s, NCA and then finally Team India. That's eight-nine years of interaction and understanding what the requirements are, what the vision is. I knew what Rahul wanted. As a coach, Rahul was never in front, he is always behind (the players). That speaks a lot about the individual himself. A lot of focus was on the players. It's all about the players, never about him. He never liked to take credit. You always see him in the background. A legend of a game. But to be able to say that, okay, I'm going to take a backseat and allow the captain and the team to be in the forefront, it's phenomenal.
With Rohit… I've been part of the MI team. I've interacted a lot. It's very important to have your captain on the same page. He was really involved in this team. He attended each and every meeting. There was a lot of discussion in the general team meetings and during those discussions during breakfast. Rahul and Vicky used to step out for dinner. Rohit would join in to have a casual conversation. This just creates trust and a bond with everyone. That transpired on the ground. The relationship that they have it's not only off the field, it's on the field as well. Very nice of Rohit to say that (referring to Dravid as his work wife). That you know the impact Rahul has had on him.
How do look back at your tenure as India's bowling coach?
When I look back at the kind of individuals I've worked with, if I made 1% difference in that dressing room to that individual, I think I've done a great job. You know, because you go in an environment which is already there, there's culture in that dressing room. You need to understand what really is happening around that. What is the environment and what kind of impact can you make. If I can make that little bit of impact to already experience bowlers like Bumrah, Ash and Jaddu... create than environment then my job is done.
As I move out of the group, I'm happy with the bond that I've had with all of them, the team, the conversations, I'll always remember the conversations that I've had with them. Obviously, success and failure will be there. You want to win a series, you want to win again, you lose again. But I think I'm going to go back with happy memories.
What's next for Paras Mhambrey?
Singing. Learn to be a singer? No, no, no. I'm nowhere near that. Yeah, I wish I can say that, but no, right now, just wanna spend time with the family. I've been away from the house, for more than two decades. I just want to take this opportunity to spend more time with my family. My son has taken an interest in cricket. So, want to work with him. He is just 17. But yeah, in the near future, you will see me doing some IPL or other teams, whatever. I will be around somewhere or the other.
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