Itanagar: The Arunachal Cricket Association (ACA) has appointed former Indian cricketer Dinesh Mongia as the state’s head coach for the upcoming 2021-22 domestic season.
The announcement was made by ACA secretary Geda Kabak on Monday.
“We are pleased to announce that the ACA has appointed Dinesh Mongia, a renowned former Indian Cricketer as a head coach for the upcoming season. Being a former international cricketer of the modern era, he brings a lot of experience with him and our players are looking forward to learn from him,” Kabak said.
Speaking to NewsFy on Tuesday, the ACA secretary said Mongia also visited the state capital Itanagar on Saturday and witnessed the trials of senior men’s team at the Academy for Cricket Excellence in Nyorch near here.
“He also visited various other cricket academies of the Itanagar Capital Region and took stock of the available infrastructures. He has suggested a few improvements and we are committed to implement the changes in a phased manner,” Kabak said while adding that the former Indian batsman was really impressed with the raw talent of Arunachalee cricketers.
This is the first time in the history of Arunachal cricket that an Indian cricketer has visited the state to nurture the local talent. In his guidance we are sure that the Arunachal cricket team will show a lot of improvement in the upcoming season, Kabak said.
Kabak said the ACA envisages taking Arunachal Cricket to the next level and is hence putting sincere efforts towards this.
“Appointing a renowned former Indian cricketer as the state’s head coach is one such step and we will take more strategic decisions in the future,” he said.
Meanwhile, speaking to Indian sports magazine Sportstar, Mongia said he was equally excited to take up the challenge and opportunity.
“There will be a challenge for sure. These young players are slightly lagging behind, so with my experience and knowledge, I will help these guys improve their game and hopefully, in a year or two, I can give you some good results,” Mongia was quoted as saying by Sportstar.
“I have to create a formula to make them understand what real cricket is. Arunachal and some northeast states don’t have very good infrastructure right now, but I need to get them to the ground and get the results. It is a challenge for sure, but I am looking forward to it,” he told the magazine.
Mongia (44), who made his debut for India against Australia in 2001, went on to play 57 one-day internationals (ODI) for the country. He scored a total of 1230 runs at an average of 27.95 and also has 14 wickets to his name.
The left-handed batsman also played one T20 international match for the country.
He announced retirement from all forms of cricket in June last year.
