Former Mumbai and India pace bowler Paras Laxmikant Mhambrey, who played three Tests and as many One-Day Internationals with moderate success, has now emerged as one of the country's leading cricket coaches.
At present, he is coach of the Bengal team.
Haresh Pandya caught up with him at the Sardar Patel Gujarat stadium in Motera, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, during the Twenty/20 inter-state tournament being played there.
How do you look at this new form of cricket called Twenty20?
It is pure entertainment. It's mainly for the spectators and television viewers.
The players must be missing here the "atmosphere" needed for this type of cricket...
Yes. But it's fairly understandable. It's considerably new to India. But in England you can see the people have a ball in the stadium. They keep dancing, singing and playing musical instruments.
What's required to be a good, successful Twenty20 player?
Cricketing talent, of course. But a bit of adaptability is very necessary. For it is not much different from one-day cricket or what we call Fifty50 cricket.
A No-ball is considered a criminal offense in Twenty20. How can a bowler master the art of not bowling a no-ball?
Well, if you work hard and practise regularly, you should not have any difficulty in bowling no no-balls.
Can't Twenty20 affect a player's natural game?
I don't think so. Today's players are capable of adjusting their game to any form of cricket. They are good at adjusting their games to any situation.
Can someone really learn something important from Twenty20 and improve his game?
Why not? Batsmen can learn how to be more attacking and sustain the attack, too. They can master the art of scoring not just a run but runs-a-ball. They can also improve their running between the wickets. Fielders can be more agile and sharper. Bowlers, too, can try to find new ways of beating the batsmen, checking the flow of runs and be economical. I mean it's a challenge, this Twenty20, for the players, who have to invent new ways of mastering it.
But, all said and done, it's still a batsmen's game, just like one-day cricket; isn't it?
Well, maybe, yes. But I would rather say it's a spectator sport because there is so much fun, excitement and entertainment for them.
