Bangladesh is relishing a Sri Lankan influence in its emergence on the international cricket map. Chandika Hathurusingha is a name that rings loud as the perceived minion increases it footprint in the sport. And when Mashrafe Mortaza, Mustafizur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar or Sabbir Rahman get together to challenge the might of the sport’s superpowers, they credit it to the inputs of their coach Hathurusingha.
It wrought a poetic justice when Bangladesh prevailed over Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup, adding another leaf to the roster of Hathurusingha’s successful tenure as a coach. So, when the islanders were clinically demolished by the Bengal tigers, Hathurusingha received congratulatory hugs from his compatriots in the opposition dugout for the fantastic achievement.
Hathurusingha, who took over the team after the last ICC World Cup T20 in 2014, said what he essentially did was changing the mindset of a bunch of talented players who were not used to success. “I found a bunch of talented youngsters who were eager to perform. The challenge was to change the mindset and bring clarity in communication,” Hathurusingha said.
Having tried many high profile coaches that included the likes of Dav Whatmore and Stuart Law, the Bangladesh Cricket Board went on a soul searching exercise after Shane Jurgensen stepped down. That is when former Bangladesh captain and BCB director Khaled Mahmud recalled his association with Hathurusingha as a player.
The BCB reached out to Hathurusingha, who was then coaching in Australia, to take over the side following a mere telephonic conversation. This agreement started one of the most remarkable evolutions in world cricket as Bangladesh emerged from the shadows and reached the quarterfinals of the ICC World Cup in 2015.
He, along with compatriot and coaching assistant Ruwan Kalpage, unleashed the turnaround. The former Sri Lankan opener, who did a fair bit of pace bowling, got into the rebuilding process, getting the individuals together in a unified dressing room. “I told the players to go for a win always, and not to be afraid of losing. We then changed the way they worked previously in terms of training, approach and tactics,” said Hathurusingha.
“We incorporated a full time (sports) psychologist into our support staff to work with the side,” said the coach, who oversaw three ODI series wins against Pakistan, India and South Africa.
Hathurusingha hopes the transition will pass on to T20 and Tests. “Bangladesh has the potential to win big tournaments and this is going to happen soon. I cannot set any deadlines,” he said.
(The Hindu)
