---

Chandrakant Pandit- The Man On A Mission

Former Indian cricketer Chandrakant Pandit donned the national team jersey from 1986 to 1992 while featuring in 36 ODIs and five Tests for the country. The wicket-keeper batsman did not have a star-studded career for Indian national cricket team since his Test debut against England with ODI debut coming against New Zealand at Sharjah in 1986.

After retirement, Pandit began a cricket academy before working as a cricket coach and enjoyed successful stints with several teams. It was during the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 season that saw Pandit lead the Mumbai Ranji Trophy to successive title wins.

Early days in Chandrakant Pandit’s coaching career  

• Coached Kenya Cricket Team (1997 – 98)
• Mumbai Under-19 Coach (2001 – 02)
• Coach at the National Cricket Academy (2001 – 04)
• Head Coach of Mumbai Ranji Team (2002 – 04)
• Maharashtra Under 19 team Head Coach (2006 – 07)
• India-A Team coach for Kenya & Zimbabwe tours (2007)
• Director of Cricket with Maharashtra Cricket Association (2009 – 11)
• Director of Coaching with Mumbai Cricket Association (2009 – 11)

Chandrakant Pandit’s rise to fame

After working extensively at the grassroot level and as a Director for various teams, Pandit decided to get back on the field and begin his work as a coach. However, before getting back on the field, he worked as a Director for the Rajasthan Cricket Association between 2011 – 2012. They managed to defend their title with Pandit at the helm.

He also took up the same role with Kerala Cricket Association during 2013 – 2014. It was under his tutelage that the likes of Sanju Samson and Basil Thampi rose through the ranks and started to make a name for themselves in the Indian cricketing circuit by taking their game to the next level.

Back into COACHING

• Mumbai Ranji Trophy Team Head Coach (2015-2017)
• Head Coach of Vidarbha Ranji Team (2017-2020)
• Madhya Pradesh Ranji Team Head Coach 

Upon returning to the coaching set up Pandit rejoined the Mumbai team and helped them lift the Ranji Trophy for the 41st time in 2015 – 16. Mumbai also made it to the final the following year but failed to win back-to-back titles during Pandit’s second stint.

Chandrakant Pandit’s Feat with Vidarbha  

Following his success with Mumbai, Pandit was roped in by the Vidarbha team for the upcoming season. Before Pandit’s appointment, Vidarbha was not considered to be serious title contenders. They did not have any past wins like Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, or Uttar Pradesh.

The Vidarbha team wasn’t seen as a traditional domestic powerhouse like Karnataka, Mumbai, or Delhi. Before 2017 – 18.  Vidarbha had only made it to the quarterfinals in 2014 – 15 and 2015 – 16, before being knocked out. They were seen as an outfit that would spurt up some good performances occasionally and aim to make life difficult for others, aiming for nothing more than a top half finish in the group tables.

However, everything was about to change as Vidarbha Cricket Association had given Chandrakant Pandit the leeway to operate the way he wanted to. Often known to be a man with his own unique methods, the new head coach ran a tight ship, but his style managed to reap benefits.

The processes put in place by Pandit for Vidarbha Cricket Association began to show results as talented players were able to take their game to a higher level and were ready to take the step up. He installed a solid foundation for a better cricket culture as Vidarbha began their jaw dropping run in domestic cricket.

Vidarbha registered a solid nine-wicket triumph against Delhi to clinch the Ranji Trophy for the first time during the 2017 – 18 season. Pandit’s side emerged victorious once again recording a 78-run victory against Saurashtra to win back-to-back Ranji Trophy titles in 2018 and 2019.

During their consecutive Ranji triumphs, Vidarbha did not lose a single match outright during the 22 games. Their back-to-back triumphs also saw the Chandrakant Pandit coached them lift the Irani Trophy for two consecutive years during 2017 – 2019, which was also their 1st ever time. From a team that was not feared by any, Pandit turned the unfancied Ranji team into a champion side.

Chandrakant Pandit at Madhya Pradesh

After the stint with Vidarbha, Pandit established himself to be one of the most successful coaches in Indian domestic cricket. Looking for a new challenge, he decided to move to Madhya Pradesh for the 2020 – 21 season. His journey as MP coach began in 2020 but was heavily affected as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Questions were raised on the former Vidarbha coach’s appointment as the head coach of the MP team by the state association’s cricket committee as the MPCA kept everyone in the dark before finalizing the appointment of a coach. If speculations are to be believed, Chandrakant Pandit had offers from three teams to be the head coach of their state team, but MP eventually won the race.

However, all doubts and questions soon vanished as Chandrakant Pandit weaved his magic which to guide Madhya Pradesh to their first Ranji Trophy title.  The MP outfit outplayed 41-time champions Mumbai and registered a six wicket win to walk away with the trophy during the final.

Helping Madhya Pradesh win their first Ranji Trophy title was quite special for the celebrated coach. MP’s last appearance in the final of the competition came in 1998 – 99 when Pandit was their captain. After losing the final while captaining the side, he finally managed to get rid of the ghosts that troubled him 23 summers ago at the same very ground in what was an emotional moment for Pandit. 

 

What makes Chandrakant Pandit ‘The Ultimate Coach’  

It would be fair to call Pandit as the Dronacharya of Indian cricket with the former India wicket keeper earning tremendous success in the Indian domestic circuit. Known to be a coach with the midas touch, Pandit has won six Ranji trophy titles as a coach. He also lifted two titles as a player back in the day which would make him eligible to be termed as the ‘Ranji Trophy king.’

Citing Chandrakant Pandit’s constant success, let’s try and understand what makes him one of the best domestic coaches in India. Pandit is very meticulous as a coach. It is a widely acknowledged fact that he is one of the finest tacticians of the sport and a top student of Indian domestic cricket. 

He is famous for keeping a diary on him to make observations and write them down about the day’s play. The notes are later shared with players during team meetings or when he conducts one-on-one sessions with players. The old school habit of noting down important scenarios in a book is a habit he picked up from his teacher who was one of India’s most celebrated coaches, the late Ramakant Achrekar.

One of the biggest features of Pandit’s coaching is the clarity of thought he has which helps him mentor the player in making them understand what each of them bring to the side, giving them a greater sense of purpose. A hard-taskmaster who is always prepared with his plans, Chandrakant Pandit’s style allows the team’s captain or bowler to have as little interference as possible. 

While it may lead to the coach being seen as a dictator kind of a character from outside, Pandit can be considered as someone who resonates a lot to a war-time general. He operates the army and wants the troops to just follow the commands and lead them to glory.

However, there is also some downside to the micromanagement approach which Pandit adopts to operate with. His system makes it difficult for players who are used to thinking and expressing their thoughts and making quick decisions on their own. On the other end, the approach also sees plans being spoon fed to the entire team, not allowing them the chance to develop their own mindset and start thinking on their feet.

There have also been stories which reveal how Chandrakant Pandit has not shied away from slapping any odd player who broke a law and disobeyed an instruction. One such incident that was made public took place during Vidarbha’s Ranji semi-final against Karnataka. 

Pandit is said to have taken away the phones of the players in order to ensure that they sleep on time and do not lose focus. This aspect of his coaching often makes a heavy negative impact on his image but has clearly worked for him in the last few years now.

In simpler terms, Chandrakant Pandit’s philosophy can essentially be explained in two words which are, planning and discipline – that’s it.  Earlier, Pandit was seen acknowledging the fact that his methods did not prove to be effective at international level. However, we can soon get a taste of it with the Madhya Pradesh coach set to begin his stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL).  

What to expect from Chandrakant Pandit at KKR

One of the biggest tests in Pandit’s career will see him take over from Brendon McCullum as the head coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Being an Indian mentor in a competition filled with foreign coaches, Pandit will be under pressure to deliver.

However, he has a lot of factors to be happy about as he will have a lot of familiar faces in the dugout as well as the playing unit. Despite entering into his maiden IPL stint, Chandrakant Pandit has worked with team captain Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer. Speaking about the coaching staff, Pandit has worked with coach Abhishek Nayyar as well as KKR academy bowling coach Omkar Salvi and main team’s bowling coach Bharat Arun. 

KKR had a dismal campaign last time with the team clearly lacking depth and quality. Pandit is likely to start fresh and is said to have already begun working on his plans for the upcoming auction and the season. With an exposure to the Indian domestic circuit unlike anyone, good things are expected from Chandrakant Pandit at KKR.

For more fantasy sports news and poker promotions, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Telegram.

---

---

More News

---

Comments