Hyderabad: Former Test cricketer and Hyderabad captain M. V. Narasimha Rao, better known as Bobjee/ Bobby in cricket circles, has been appointed Director of Coaching at the Hyderabad Cricket Academy of Excellence headquartered at the Gymkhana grounds, the City’s cricket cradle.
Bobjee who has coached the Ireland national team and became the first Indian cricketer to be conferred with the prestigious Member of British Empire (MBE) medallion in 2012 for promoting sport, has been given a three-year term.
“I am very excited, honoured and overwhelmed to take up this assignment. It’s been 27 years since Hyderabad last won the Ranji Trophy (in the 1986-87 season under his captaincy). If we restart on the right note, we should give ourselves three more years to make it big again,” Bobjee told this newspaper on Tuesday.
Hyderabad Cricket Association president Arshad Ayub felt the Ranji Trophy winning captain was the right man for the job. “Bobby has done a considerable job with the Ireland team and was happy to give back to the State. We had a discussion with him and discovered that he was on the same page as us in terms of taking Hyderabad cricket forward. I know Bobby very well — have played with/ under him — and am sure his association will benefit Hyderabad,” he said.
Bobby will also be involved in conducting seminars for coaches and umpires. “Coaching is the key. A coach should figure out the best way of communicating with the player to bring the best out of him,” Arshad said.
