In July, on his first day in charge as Chhattisgarhs head coach, Sulakshan Kulkarni was asked to give a motivational speech to the probables selected for a camp ahead of the states Ranji Trophy debut. The former Mumbai wicketkeeper, who had been a part of six winning teams, adopted a unique method.He brought with him from Mumbai a replica of the Ranji Trophy and placed it on the table next to him. Is it a trophy you won for being the best coach? someone in the group asked him just before he began. That is when it struck me that I was with a state that didnt have a cricketing tradition, and that we needed to build one, Kulkarni told ESPNcricinfo.I replied: This is what you will be playing for. Come one by one, feel it, take photos, selfies, whatever. Post it on social media - Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, wherever. One day, we will win this trophy. Thats the privilege you all have after 16 years of struggle. Make it worth it. Imagine the feeling of holding this together as a group. You will understand that only when you win. There was silence. The motivational speech ended there.On Saturday, the group led by Mohammad Kaif became the first side since Punjab, in 1968-69, to win their first Ranji Trophy match, when they outclassed Tripura by nine wickets in Ranchi. Once victory had been sealed, the team remembered their coachs words. As well as they had begun, though, Kulkarni was quick to remind the group that bigger battles lay ahead.****A man with a sharp eye for talent, Kulkarni remembers being spellbound by the teams belief at an Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy game against Mumbai in Mumbai in 2014. Chhattisgarh almost beat them, he says. They dared to declare to have a chance of an outright win. I was watching from the stands; the attitude excited me immensely. That they lost is a different issue, but they showed intent. That told you they had something. So when this opportunity came up [to coach Chhattisgarh] my mind went back to that.Upon assuming his duties, one of the first things he needed to do was prepare a plan to get the side game-ready in less than three months. Kulkarni, in no uncertain terms, told the Chhattisgarh State Cricket Sangh to organise matches. I wanted to identify a core group of 20-22 players before the season, Kulkarni says. And I wanted to get in at least six to ten matches.The side played in the All-India Invitational Buchi Babu tournament in August in Chennai, where they beat more accomplished sides from Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh in matches played in a two-day format. It was there that I first saw their ability to play on rank turners, especially against the hosts, Kulkarni says. Amandeep Khares 193 against UP, according to the coach, infused self-belief into the batting unit. Chhattisgarh finished runners-up.Then at the Bapuna Cup, a tournament featuring four-day games organised by the Vidarbha Cricket Association in Nagpur in September, the side got a taste of playing on flat surfaces. The bowlers delivered, the batsmen piled on the runs and they emerged champions in the four-team tournament. I think thats where the boys were pushed hard with the ball, the same qualities they showed here [in their Ranji Trophy opener], Kaif, the captain, says. They learnt to make things happen when there was nothing.In their final league game against Himachal Pradesh at the Bapuna Cup, Chhattisgarh had the option of batting out for a draw, which would have given them the trophy. At 400 for 4 with little over a day left, Kaif and Kulkarni decided to push for an outright result. They blasted 97 in the next hour to declare. Next day we bowled them out and chased down 30-odd to win, Kulkarni says, pointing to Kaifs leadership as the driving force.The idea, according to him, was to have the team get a feel of an outright win. Kaif led the side superbly, he handled all the bowlers well and thats where his experience had a telling effect, Kulkarni says. It showed in our first game [at the Ranji Trophy] too.He elaborated on an incident to show the value of having an aggressive captain. [Himachals] Robin Bist, at this level, is a superb player. Against a quality player, you need a quality attack or a great captain. In the second innings of that Nagpur game, the ball was reversing, so Kaif had three fielders on the leg side - short mid-on, short midwicket and short square leg.He told the bowler to stick to his normal line and not try to reverse. He kept bringing it in and then got one away, which the batsman edged to the keeper. After the match, even Bist came up to us and acknowledged the plan. You have won half your battle if you can plot and execute plans like that. So hes a bowlers captain.Im not worried about the runs he makes; he can make a zero, but his contribution in bringing the best out of ten players is worth more than just his personal contribution. He gives you variety as a captain, which will augur well for this team. Hes that sort of a person. A good captain can make bowlers better than they are.****At training and off the field, theres a clear demarcation in the roles played by the captain and coach. Kaif, the senior-pro and domestic veteran, is the man-manager, motivator and elder brother who chills with the boys. Kaif says he wasnt ready to coach full-time because he believed he could contribute as a player, just like he did in Andhra after his decade-and-a-half journey with Uttar Pradesh. Dealing with a young group eager to prove themselves, according to him, was the biggest motivation.At this stage of my career, I wanted to give back to the game, he says. I wanted to groom a set of players who can move up. I wasnt ready for a coaching opportunity alone though. If I wanted to just score runs and take slip catches, I could have opted to do that. But I wanted to interact with younger players, guide them and share my experiences. Thats what excited me about the Chhattisgarh role.Kaif is outspoken about his objectives. When I was coming through in Uttar Pradesh, you were recognised as someones brother or someones relative or son, he says. People didnt have their own identity. Even if they did, there was someone to always pull you down. So there was a senior-junior divide, because seniors were often insecure if they saw a talented youngster. Here, I want everyone to know I am around at any time. They can talk to me freely without the fear of saying something wrong. Basically, they should speak up and not be shy.I was shy too as an 18-year-old. It affected me when I played for India. Maybe I didnt make the effort to mingle freely with seniors like Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly outside the field. So I want these players, many of whom are in a professional set up for the first time, to be comfortable. So we often have team dinners, get-togethers and team activities to understand the group. Theyre a lot more comfortable now than they were two months ago.Kulkarni adds: Its easier mingling with these boys and talking to them because there are no ego battles. Thats because everyone is starting off at the same level. Unlike other sides, where those who have played for India may or may not gel with the group, everyone is hungry for success, so coaching is a lot simpler. You cant sink further from the basement. You can only climb with this sort of an approach.****Mentoring aside, Kulkarni deals with specifics: batting, slip catching, fielding, flat throws, and video analysis. At each session, players are asked to identify what they could have done better, what they did right and wrong. At the end, the coach has his say. Its a ritual that is limited not just to the playing squad, but to the entire set of probables, some of whom might come into the XI at different stages this season. Its important to have a feeder system, Kulkarni says. This is one way of building it. Players outside the group need to know they belong too. Ask Kulkarni and Kaif who theyve been most impressed with, and both of them hardly bat an eyelid. Khare is the unanimous choice. Amandeep Khare is like a gem, Kulkarni says. After Rahane and Pujara, I havent seen a more talented batsman at the Under-19 level than this guy. I would rate him more promising than these two when they were his age. Also Ashutosh Singh is very talented. He reminds me of Karun Nair. He is solid, technically correct and reliable.What are the worries then? The bowling, Kaif points out. It is not surprising. In their build-up to the season, the batsmen produced 11 centuries. The bowlers could manage just four five-wicket hauls across both preparatory tournaments leading into the Ranji Trophy. But we have identified how many bowlers weve got, and how to tackle issues like resting bowlers since we will be playing without a break for nine rounds. We have had the winning momentum right from our preparatory tournaments, so the boys are happy.Kulkarni adds: We have formed a core group with five-six pacers and three spinners, who we plan to rotate based on performance and fitness. It will be important to monitor workloads. In Ranji, the bowlers need more rest than the batsmen. We have 20 boys; we will take it one game at a time.Both of them agree, the key to the long season ahead will be to maintain their intensity and play a positive brand of cricket, considering they will have to fight with nine other sides for two quarter-final spots, unlike in Groups A and B where three out of nine sides qualify. But, as Kaif says: Teams cant take us lightly, weve shown that. Boston Bruins Store . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No. Bruins Jerseys 2020 . Having already announced that the race will start May 9 with three stages in Northern Ireland and Ireland and finish in Trieste on June 1, the rest of the route was unveiled Monday. https://www.cheapbruins.com/ . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. Cheap Bruins Jerseys .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. Wholesale Bruins Jerseys . - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap. Kidambi Srikanth and PV Sindhu lit up Indias badminton campaign in Rio, progressing to the quarterfinals of their respective singles events.?While Srikanth marched into the quarterfinals of the mens singles after beating world No. 5 Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark 21-19, 21-19, Sindhu cruised past Chinese Taipeis Tzu Ying Tai 21-13, 21-15 in the womens singles.?She [Tai] was a very tricky player, Sindhu said after the match. Even though I was leading, nothing was for granted. It was a good game, and even she played well.?I was not just aiming at the body. It was a mix of everything. Sometimes, I was hitting out, but I was always alert, and ready for the next point. I didnt take it easy.Srikanth will next play two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China on Wednesday, while Sindhu will have to beat Chinas?Wang Yihan for a spot in the semifinals.?Its a tough match tomorrow against the world No.2, Sindhu said. A lot will depend on the strategy on that particular day, which Ill have to discuss with my coach.Sindhu had a 2-4 record against Tai Tzu going into the match, having beaten her last at the Denmark Open last year, but she opened up a 3-1 lead early on and managed to lead 11-6 at the break.Tai depended on her deceptive game to reduce the margin to 10-12, but she was equally erratic with her placements, while Sindhu showed better presence of mind. Sindhu won a video referral to reach game point at 20-13 and then pocketed it comfortably with Tai hitting wide.After the change of ends, Sindhu once again moved to a 3-1 leaad but she erred twice on her backhand returns to give away two points.ddddddddddddTai tried to take away the pace from the rallies and came up with a few down-the-line smashes to make it 6-6 after Sindhu dropped her serve.However, Tais inability to rein in her unforced errors saw Sindhu lead 11-6 at the interval. Tai tried to put pressure on Sindhu but failed to give the finishing touch as Sindhu sailed away to a 14-7 lead.?Tai found it difficult to control the shuttle and hit long twice to allow Sindhu a lead of 17-11. A couple of drop shots deflected by the net chord took Sindhu to 19-12 before Tai sent one to the net to gift eight match points to Sindhu. Tai saved three match points before another long shot from her gifted Sindhu the match.?Earlier, Srikanth had joined Parupalli Kashyap as the only two Indian mens singles players to reach the quarterfinals of the Olympics.?Srikanth played his trademark attacking game throughout the tight match, taking every opportunity to land smashes and put Jorgensen under pressure.?The Dane ran him close in the second game -- which was tighter than the first despite the same scores -- but Srikanth pulled away at the end.Srikanth had earlier beaten Finlands Henri Hurskainen and?Mexicos Lino Munoz before the last 16 match.Srikanth, who is playing in his first Olympics, is ranked world No. 11. He had beaten Lin to win the China Open title in 2014. ' ' '
