Cuttack: Former India opener Shiv Sundar Das has succeeded his onetime national teammate, Debashis Mohanty as the coach of the Orissa Ranji Trophy team for the 2017-18 season, Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) stated through a press release here Thursday. The decision to replace Debashis was taken during the OCA working committee meeting presided over by chairman Dhiren Pallai here in the presence of other members – Janardan Das, Rabi Shankar Pratihari, Dulal Chandra Pradhan and Saroj Kumar Sahoo.
Debashis was at the helm of affairs since January 2011 after Australia’s Michael Bevan was shown the door by the state cricket body. “The decision to replace Debashis was taken after the coach himself requested that he be relieved off his duties due to personal reasons,” informed Pallai. “His father has not been in the best of health for some time. With an ailing father to take care of Debashis currently is not in a position to travel and spend time with the team. Hence Shiv who has worked as a batting consultant with the team in the past has been asked to take over the responsibility. The transition has been smooth,” Pallai added.
Sources, however, had other opinions to offer. “Some of the senior players were unhappy with the coach. They had complained to the OCA regarding Debashis and his coaching methods,” stated a source, Thursday. “Debashis had also not travelled with the team on two occasions last year, an issue which had also irked the OCA. Hence his removal was on the cards,” he added.
Among other changes, former Railways and Orissa player Kulamani Parida will take charge of the state U-19 team in place of Rashmi Ranjan Parida. The only cricketer from Orissa to have won two Ranji Trophy winner’s medals (while playing for Rajasthan), Rashmi has been appointed as the technical director of OCA academy coaching staff. Similarly Suresh Kumar has replaced Kulamani as the coach of the state U-23 team.
Other than these changes, most of the other coaching staff and selectors have been retained.
As per the decision of the working committee a selection/trial camp for selection of the state Ranji, U-23 and U-19 teams will be organised here starting September 1.
Other appointments:
Coaches: Subrat Behera (U-16), Rashmita Mohanty (Women’s senior and U-23), Itishree Patnaik (Women’s U-19).
Selection committee (Ranji Trophy and U-23): Bishnudev Mohanty (chairman), Subhasis Bhuyan, Surya Mishra, Abakssh Khatua and Dhiren Kumar Rout.
(U-19 and U-16): Deepak Mangaraj (chairman), Subas Mohanty, Shovan Deb, Rakesh Mohanty, JC Routray.
(Women’s selection committee): Bidhan Chandra Rout (chairman), Ankita Das, Sudhanshubala Sahu, Santosh Das, Arun Naik.
(Academy coaching staff): Rashmi Ranjan Parida (technical director), Rashmi Ranjan Das (coach), Kalinga Das and Pravat Nayak (both assistant coaches).
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