Two-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders have appointed Chandrakant Pandit as the head coach for the upcoming season. Kolkata had to look for a new coach as he broke ties with Brendon McCullum after the completion of the previous season. The appointment of the six-time Ranji Trophy winning coach enthused Kolkata fans but former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra was apparently not happy with the decision. Chopra is not sure whether Pandit’s strict coaching style will work for international cricketers in the IPL.
Chopra said in a video shared on his YouTube channel, “The story is good because Chandrakant Pandit’s style of coaching is that he scolds players a lot and makes kids run a lot. I completely agree with Harsha Bhogle’s tweet. Strictness sometimes works with young kids but will the same strategy work with international players as well?”
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Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle also had a similar opinion on the matter. Bhogle believes it was an ‘interesting’ and ‘courageous’ move on the part of the Kolkata team management and he will eagerly wait and see Pandit’s style of coaching in Kolkata.
This is a very interesting, and very adventurous, move on from @KKRiders To go along with Chandu Pandit as the head coach. Chandu has built a huge reputation in domestic cricket, previously with Mumbai, but more dramatically with Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh. His do-it-yourself style is…(1/3)
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) 17 August 2022
In the 15th season of IPL, Kolkata also failed to qualify for the playoffs. The Shreyas Iyer-led side finished their IPL 2022 campaign in seventh place with just 12 points from 14 matches. Kolkata had won only six games last season. And now Chopra feels that Chandrakant’s appointment is indeed a good step in the right direction and can help the team in overcoming the disappointing performance of last season.
Chopra also said that the appointment of Indian coaches will always be beneficial as it will ultimately help the national cricket team become a stronger unit.
Under coach Pandit’s leadership, Madhya Pradesh won their first Ranji Trophy last season by beating 41-time champions Mumbai by six wickets in the final. And with this, Pandit won the sixth Ranji Trophy title. Earlier, he had led the mighty Mumbai team to three Ranji Trophy victories. He also had a successful stint as the head coach of Vidarbha. Vidarbha won the Ranji Trophy twice under Pandit’s coaching.
And now, Pandit is all set to become the first Indian coach of IPL franchise Kolkata.
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