Updated: 30 June 2022
Madhya Pradesh defeated Mumbai to register their maiden Ranji Trophy title. After the victory, one man has taken center stage and has become the center of attraction. We are talking about the coach of the Madhya Pradesh Ranji team “ Chandrakant Pandit”. The story of Chandrakant Pandit is something that will give every cricket player a reason to be happy. His life as a player and a coach has been amazing. Let us walk you through some interesting facts about this exciting coach.
Also Read: IPL 2022: ALL TEAM COACHES & THEIR HEFTY SALARIES
BRIEF DETAILS ABOUT CHANDRAKANT PANDIT
Chandrakant Pandit made his debut for India in 1986. He was a dashing stroke player and wicketkeeper. But, he did not get enough opportunities to play for India. Chandrakant Pandit played in 36 ODI during 1986- 1992, apart from featuring in 5 test matches. After 1992, he was sidelined by the selectors. Seeing this, he went to play domestic cricket for Madhya Pradesh and continued playing till early 2000.
Chandrakant Pandit was the captain of the Madhya Pradesh Ranji team, which lost to Karnataka in the 1998-1998 edition finals. Coincidentally, it is on this ground only that he led the MP team to their maiden Ranji trophy victory as the head coach in 2022.
Also Read: IPL 2023 Auction: Gujarat Titans (GT), Expected Retention, Release, Target Players, And Full Squad
THE COACHING JOURNEY OF CHANDRAKANT PANDIT
In 2003, Chandrakant Pandit was made the coach of the Mumbai Ranji team, and he showed his coaching skills from the first year itself. Under the coaching of Chandrakant Pandit, Mumbai won Ranji titles in 2003, 2004, and 2016. He then joined Vidarbha and made them win Ranji trophy titles in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019. He was later appointed as the head coach of Madhya Pradesh in 2020.
The current Madhya Pradesh captain Aditya Shrivastava said he once asked for leave for his marriage, but Chandrakant Pandit permitted him to take off for just 2 days. He used to arrange camps, even at midnight for the players, so that they could become mentally tougher. The strict discipline and commitment of Chandrakant pandit is the reason why MP managed to win their maiden Ranji trophy.
ROLE OF CHANDRAKANT PANDIT IN IPL 2023 AS COACH
Chandrakant Pandit was once offered the role of an assistant coach by Shahrukh Khan-led KKR, but he declined the offer, saying he did not want to work under any foreign coach. But, seeing his leadership as the coach in the Ranji trophy, we can expect a few teams to approach him for the IPL coaching responsibilities. Given below are the 3 teams, we feel can be of the best benefit if they bring Chandrakant Pandit into their coaching circuit:
PUNJAB KINGS
Anil Kumble, the head coach of Punjab Kings, has not done justice with this coaching caliber. Leading the coaching department since 2019, the team has failed to reach the playoff stage. It is high time that PBKS consider replacing Anil Kumble as the head coach. Chandrakant Pandit can be a suitable replacement for him.
MUMBAI INDIANS
5-time IPL champion Mumbai Indians have performed poorly in the last 2 seasons. In 2021, they finished 5th, and in 2022, Mumbai Indians finished at the bottom position in the IPL points table. MI players are not performing as a team. It seems Mahela Jayawardene is struggling in his role as the head coach. If MI is to look for a possible replacement for him, Chandrakant Pandit may be the best replacement.
Also Read: IPL 2023 Auction: Mumbai Indians (MI) Release And Probable Players List
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
The third team which can target Chandrakant Pandit may be Sunrisers Hyderabad. Their head coach Tom Moody has failed to get things going for SRH in the last two seasons. The team could not reach the playoff stage and need a revamp for the think tank before the 16th edition of IPL kicks in.
