Mumbai Cricket: MCA picks Sameer Dighe as new coach, drops Chandrakant Pandit

A file picture of ex-India 'keeper Dighe at MCA's BKC ground in 2015

Twenty-six years later, history repeats itself in a way. In 1991, Sameer Dighe replaced Mumbai's regular wicketkeeper Chandrakant Pandit behind the sticks to make his Ranji Trophy debut. Yesterday, he replaced Pandit as Mumbai's senior coach.

Dighe, who kept wickets in that 1990-91 Mumbai vs Gujarat game at Wankhede while Pandit played as a batsman, scored 107 as opener.

Mumbai Cricket Association's (MCA) Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) chaired by former India pacer Ajit Agarkar yesterday, also chief selector of the Mumbai senior team, decided to hand the coaching responsibilities to 48-year-old Dighe. "It's a matter of great pride to be the Mumbai coach. However, the pressure is the same that I felt when I made my debut for Mumbai," he told mid-day from Dehradun where he is conducting a high-performance camp for an academy.

Dighe, who played six Tests and 23 ODIs, spoke about his task: "It's a challenging job and definitely, the expectations are quite high. To keep a good atmosphere in the dressing room with good man-management skills will be vital. You have to be honest to your job which I think is the most important thing."

Chandrakant Pandit

Though former India batsman Pravin Amre and Dighe were front runners for this job, the CIC also discussed Pandit and former Mumbai coach Sulakshan Kulkarni during yesterday's meeting at MCA's BKC indoor academy. "We discussed four coaches while appointing Dighe. We decided to go with him to bring fresh legs and ideas for the Mumbai team," said an MCA official. Dighe earlier served Mumbai Indians as a fielding coach and coached the Tripura Ranji Trophy team. When asked about Amre being a contender as well, Dighe said: "I never think about who my competitor is. I have full faith in my abilities. Competition is part of life. When you lead Mumbai and work with men like Ashok Mankad, Karsan Ghavri, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar and Sachin Tendulkar, it gives you enormous experience and I think that will count."

Dighe led Mumbai to a Ranji Trophy triumph in 1999-2000 with batting icon Tendulkar in the team. About the current Mumbai team, Dighe said: "We have a balanced side with superb players like Aditya Tare, Abhishek Nayar and Shardul Thakur. We also have a new set of selectors, so we will start this journey with fresh thoughts. "There will not be any selfish motives. We will give a lot of importance to the bench strength. Those back-up players need to prove themselves and work hard for a Mumbai cap."