Cricket Kenya appoints former Indian cricketer Dodda Ganesh as head coach
Former Indian cricketer Dodda Ganesh was appointed Kenya's new head coach at the Sikh Union Club on Tuesday, August 13. Ganesh, who bowled medium pace with lower-order batting ability, played four Tests and an ODI for India in 1997 and finished with 29 runs and six wickets in his international career.
However, the now-51-year-old starred in India's domestic circuit for Karnataka, finishing with 493 wickets and 2,548 runs in 193 first-class + List-A matches. Ganesh boasts extensive coaching experience at various levels in India and will look to revitalize Kenya's floundering cricketing graph.
A video on social media showed Dodda Ganesh being unveiled as Kenya's new head coach as below:
Ganesh replaced Lameck Onyango at the helm but will be supported by Onyango, Joseph Angara, and Joseph Asichi on the coaching front.
His first two assignments will be the ICC Division 2 Challenge League in September, and the T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers in October. Kenya will take on Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Denmark, and Jersey in the Challenge League.
"My first vision is to qualify for the World Cup" - Dodda Ganesh
Dodda Ganesh stated his primary objective as Kenya's head coach was to help the side qualify for the World Cup.
Kenya was part of the five consecutive ODI World Cups from 1996 to 2011, including stunning the cricketing world by qualifying for the semi-final of the 2003 edition. They also played in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 but have not featured in the tournament since.
After being announced as Kenya's new head coach by CEO Ronald Bukusi, Ganesh said (via 777 score):
"My first vision is to qualify for the World Cup. I’ve seen the dedication and hard work among the players. I’m not interested in the past, but I firmly believe that Kenyans possess the spirit of champions. I’ve been watching Kenyan cricket matches on YouTube, and I’m impressed with the talent I see. It’s evident that the players are in good shape."
Besides the World Cups, Kenya also participated in three editions of the Champion Trophy from 2000 to 2004.
However, they lost their ODI status in 2014 after finishing outside the top four in the 2014 Cricket World Cup Qualifier.