Former India opener and Bengal’s batting consultant W.V. Raman on Tuesday said that the players needed to retain the intensity in the longer domestic season after the pandemic.
According to Raman, Bengal has some good talent and should do well in the upcoming season. “There is a fair bit of talent, and it can be useful for the Bengal side. I am sure the boys will do well. What will be the key is fitness and the players need to retain the intensity because it will be a long season,” said Raman at a press conference here.
About Bengal’s inability to put up big totals consistently in the previous edition of the Ranji Trophy, Raman said it might be due to factors like the batters not getting enough preparation time and lesser number of matches in the Covid-hit season.
Raman, who coached Bengal in the past, said the current players needed to adapt to different formats due to the increase in white ball matches. He said he tried to keep it simple and improve the skills of the players at the practice sessions.
Bengal head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who played under Raman, sought inspiration from his former coach. “I have learned one thing from W.V. Sir. We don’t have to look too far ahead. We will try to improve day-by-day. He is focusing on the basics and we think anything is possible,” said Shukla, a former India all-rounder.
Shukla said following the cancellation of Bengal’s Namibia tour, the coaching staff would decide how to begin the season.
Shukla, who introduced some hard outdoor training drills, said, “Our former players did not have gym facilities. The main thing is becoming tough. One can really become strong by working under the sun. We will do the hard work under the sun because ultimately we have to play under the sun. We cannot play cricket in an A.C. room. Last year I did it with the under-25 team.
“As W.V. Sir says, we should not make it burdensome for the players. We need to understand what they want to do and extract the best out of them,” said Shukla.
