New beginning: Former Andhra captain Vincent, third from left, with some of the USA players during the on-going camp in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
HYDERABAD
Former Andhra captain Vincent Vinay Kumar is donning the role of a batting consultant of the United States of America which is currently training in Bengaluru ahead of the 2023 ICC World Cup qualifier play-offs in Namibia later this month.
The 53-year-old elegant batter of yesteryears has been former Andhra Ranji coach and also of different age groups and felt that his vast experience as a coach over the last 17 years should help him a long way.
“It is always a great feeling to be the coach of a national team. I got this huge opportunity when I was on a coaching stint and felt really happy when I finally got selected,” Vincent informed The Hindu.
“Definitely, the experience of training Andhra teams did give me the feel of what coaching means and what will be the expectations. And I look at USA assignment as another challenge in my career,” said the former Andhra cricketer, who is settled in Hyderabad.
“The fact that many players whom I trained in the age groups went on to represent higher grade of cricket may be proof of my commitment and success too,” he said.
“I am already into the job of moulding this US team which is a mix of players from the Asian Continent and West Indies who have been playing for three to four years now and know what is expected of them. I have studied a lot of videos of the players and have assessed the strengths and weaknesses and will work on them accordingly,” Vincent said.
“US is a very good team with a lot of talent at the top of the batting order and a pretty good bowling attack too,” Vincent said.
For the record, the team will reach Namibia on March 16
“Hopefully, I will play my bit in better performances of the US team and it will be great if they can make the grade too,” signed off a confident but very soft-spoken Vincent.