Data driven: How Mhambrey's work is helping Shami & Co
The bowlers are doing the job on the field but the tactical inputs provided behind the scenes are making a crucial difference
At the Wankhede Stadium, during the game against Sri Lanka last Thursday, Mohammed Shami celebrated his fifth wicket by placing the ball on his head. The gesture was directed towards the India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, who spent a lot of time working with him, motivating and pushing him even when he was on the bench.
The result of all that was evident in how Shami performed when he finally got a chance to play after the unfortunate injury to Hardik Pandya. The pacer settled right in and is now India’s leading wicket-taker with 16 wickets in just four games.
India's bowling attack at the World Cup has been the talk of the cricket world. It’s been mesmirising to watch them in action. As Shami’s gesture suggests, it is but natural that their bowling coach is doing something right. A trusted lieutenant of Rahul Dravid, Mhambrey had big shoes to fill given the success achieved under the earlier bowling coach Bharat Arun.
Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj were all established names having done well under the previous coach, so the comparisons were inevitable. So, if you mess up, you lose the dressing room. It very much becomes a case of whether you can take the players to the next level. During the World Cup, the Indian pace bowlers have been a sight to behold. At the same time, the guile of the spin duo Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav has been captivating.
The numbers are so stunning that it is being termed as the best-ever attack ever fielded by any team in the ODI World Cups. India have not conceded a 300-plus total. They have bowled out teams under 200 in five out of eight matches. Two of those totals have been under 100.
On Pakistan TV channel, A Sports, former Pakistan captains Misbah-ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik have been marveling over the exhibition of skills -- pointing out the perfect release and highlighting the biomechanics. A product of the BCA-Mafatlal Bowling Scheme, his initiation into coaching had happened early under English fast bowling great Frank Tyson, when he assisted him for six weeks at a Karnataka State Association Camp in 2002. Tyson was big on bio-mechanics, the Mumbai pacer became very strong in it as well.
Mhambrey didn’t have much success as a player at the international level but as a coach he made a mark immediately. That he was a bright mind became apparent when he took charge of the Bengal team in 2005-06 season, just three years after his retirement as player. Bengal had just survived a Ranji Trophy Elite Group relegation battle against Madhya Pradesh the previous season and were looking to revive their fortunes.
At 33, Mhambrey was then one of the youngest coaches in the domestic circuit and with pretty much the same players who fought that survival battle went on to play the Ranji Trophy final against Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow. It was after a gap of 16 years that Bengal had progressed that deep into the tournament. So, what was his Midas Touch?
“Discipline and planning,” said Shib Shankar Paul, then Bengal’s pace spearhead who ended the season among the country’s top wicket-takers with 36.
The other important thing Mhambrey embraced and made part of all Bengal teams for the future was the use of technology. “Video analysts were just about making inroads into our domestic cricket. Paras used it to the hilt. We spent a lot of time watching footages of batters and planning. We used to have Plan A, B and C for most situations. And that worked for us,” Paul said.
“It was not about technical changes, what he did was open up a whole range of tactical nuances and that helped us look at bowling differently," added Paul.
WRIST POSITION
The big difference between India and the other teams so far is that no one is generating movement like Shami and Bumrah. On 'A Sports', Wasim Akram pointed out to the excellent wrist position of Bumrah and Shami and their flick of the wrist to impart the back spin. Mhambrey didn't have the pace but those who played with him say he gained mastery over imparting back spin on the ball. Bumrah and Shami are fitter and faster, hence doing it at a greater pace to be lethal.
Mhambrey gained success with most the teams he worked with. In his first season with Vidarbha, 2014-15, they qualified for the Ranji Trophy knockouts after 19 years.
But doing it at the domestic level is one thing but walking into one of the best team in the world where the dressing room is full of established players is another matter altogether. That too, when his predecessor's work had been widely acclaimed.
To win the dressing room was a challenge. He came in with a clear understanding that most of the guys are not associated with him. He knew to build that trust will take a long time. Obviously, what worked for him was that a lot of guys were experienced and had played enough cricket to value good inputs. Shami’s gesture was an acknowledgement of the players valuing his work and having the trust.
Mhambrey’s emphasis was on tactical work. Addressing the media after the England game at Lucknow, Mhambrey said his conversations with the bowlers primarily revolve around tactical aspects of the game.
"It is all about man-management at this level. I don't explain much about the technical bit but only about the tactical bit. The bottom-line is about execution. The credit goes to them," India's bowling coach said.
DATA DRIVEN
Dealing with the world’s finest bowlers, to put his point across Mhambrey knew he will have to be concrete with his inputs. His tactics are all research based and data driven. The advantage is you can’t deny data. It is right in front of you.
During his three-year stint with the Vidarbha team (from 2014-15 to 2016-17), Mhambrey did a lot of work with the team analyst Anirudh Deshpande. Together they plotted many dismissals successfully. Deshpande remembers the 2016-17 Ranji game against a star-studded Delhi side where they used data extensively to plan against the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir, Rishabh Pant and Nitish Rana.
“In 2016-17 we were playing a league game against Delhi at Chennai’s SSN Engineering College ground. They had a batting-heavy side with Dhawan, who had come back from the New Zealand tour, Gambhir, a young Nitish Rana, Rishabh Pant. We discussed the plan with our bowlers -- let Gambhir not open his hands by having a consistent stump line because he is quite good square of the wicket; for Dhawan it was the opposite plan -- let him play some drives and then we trap him in that area. Rajneesh Gurbani picked those things perfectly,” remembers Deshpande.
The plan worked and Delhi were 102/6 before Manan Sharma steadied the ship at No 8.
“After showing the videos and making the plan, Mhambrey sir made sure the bowlers did the right practice in the nets. Accuracy should be high, bowling with the purpose that we were bowling to the Delhi batters. That’s how the data impacts... this data helps 20 per cent only, but even if use 20 per cent it makes a huge difference.”
Earlier, the domestic batters would be in trouble. Now, the international batters are being outwitted. Mhambrey has stayed out of the limelight but the results are there to see.