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Hope Thomson will help improve Mumbai pacers: Vengsarkar
Mumbai: Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) vice president Dilip Vengsarkar believes inclusion of legendary fast bowler Jeff Thomson as coach at its bowling academy will help improve the current group of young fast bowlers in the city.
Thomson is here for a month-long stint at MCA’s bowling academy where young pacers from around the city will be trained by the Australian legend.
He will put in a month-long stint at the academy in May next year.
“Mumbai need some good bowlers to win matches. Mumbai over the years have produced excellent batsmen, with exceptional talent. But I believe fast bowlers help win matches. I think Jeff will definitely help our young fast bowlers with proper guidance,” Vengsarkar said at the MCA-IDBI Federal Life Insurance Bowling Foundation here on Monday.
“Not only at international level but at state level too the quality of pacers should improve. I hope the inclusion of Thomson in the bowling academy as coach will b a great success,” he said.
The 59-year-old former India batsman rated Thomson as the fastest pace bowler he faced in his 16-year long career.
“We have got excellent talent here in Mumbai but what we need is guidance and that’s what we hope to get from Jeff Thomson, who has been one of the greatest fast bowlers the world has seen. I played against him in my first tour of Australia in 1978. I can say he was the fastest bowler I have seen in my career,” Vengsarkar added.
MCA have selected a maximum of 30 pacers in the 19 and above age group to be part of the foundation.
The training for the young Mumbai bowlers will be held throughout the year at the Sharad Pawar Indoor Stadium, formerly known as the MCA Club at the Bandra-Kurla Complex.
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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.