Five batsmen whose career was resurrected by Pravin Amre
In November 1992, when Pravin Amre trampled upon the likes of Allan Donald, Brian McMillan and Brett Shultz in Durban on his Test debut, a promising cricket career was on the cards. Rescuing India from a miserable situation of 39/4, Amre scored a century on a bouncy and fast-paced wicket to display his determination and grit. The young man from Mumbai, who had piled up huge scores in domestic cricket was finally getting his due and Indian cricket looked safely-placed.11 Tests and 37 ODIs down the line, his international career came to a halt.More than two decades after Amres Test debut, his romance with the game continued in a new role. While most modern cricketers choose commentary, Amre took up coaching and cleared BCCI Level III exam for coaches.Having coached Mumbai Ranji side from 2006-07 to 2010-11, he took a break from coaching to watch videos, study bio-mechanics, read and devise papers and presentations. For him, a coachs job is much more than giving throw downs and deciding playing XI. He reinvented his modus operandi and watched the videos of all great batsmen from Don Bradman to Sachin Tendulkar, to understand the nuances of batting.Today, Amre is the most sought batting consultant across India because of his acumen and understanding of the game. He has metamorphosised himself from a team coach to a personal coach and has attained considerable success in the recent past.Lets look at five players who sought advice from Pravin Amre and displayed brilliance on the field:
#5 Dinesh Karthik
The backbone of Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Squad and one of the strong contenders to replace MS Dhoni in Test matches for India, Dinesh Karthik turned to Pravin Amre when other players had already tasted success under his wings.
After recalibrating his technique and making subtle changes in his mental make-up, Karthik came all guns blazing in 2014-15 season of Ranji Trophy with spectacular performance amassing 884 runs at an average of 57 in 11 games. He became the second highest run-getter in that season and proved to be the catalyst that turned the fortunes of Tamil Nadu Ranji Trophy side around.
The wicket-keeper batsmen ameliorated his game and achieved success under the watchful eyes of Amre. In an interview, he attributed his success to Amre and told how Amre’s technical advice made him an overall better cricketer. Though he is out of the national side, the attacking batsmen have the potential to make a come back in the team to replace incumbent Wriddhiman Saha.