Former Andhra skipper Vincent Vinay Kumar recalls guiding USA U-19 men to first major title

Former Andhra skipper Vincent Vinay Kumar recalls guiding USA U-19 men to first major title

For former Andhra cricketer Vincent Vinay Kumar, mentoring the USA Under-19 cricket team to its maiden major title triumph in the recently concluded Cubs Week one-day tournament in South Africa was a memorable experience.

“Bringing players onto the same platform, devising game plans, and implementing them during matches were my main objectives as a coach. Since the players gained valuable experience playing in different leagues, they were able to compete against quality opposition,” Vincent said in a chat with Sportstar upon his return to the city.

“After losing the first match, we won the next four, including the final, to clinch the Cup — the team’s first-ever trophy. It was challenging as we all met for the first time in Cape Town. We had limited practice sessions and had to work on specific areas before heading into the matches,” said the 54-year-old Vincent.

“We worked on a few technical aspects and the players’ mindset, helping them understand the importance of having a winning mentality and believing in their skills,” the proud coach remarked.

“We outlined batting and bowling strategies to build partnerships that could be delivered during matches. The key factors in winning the Cup were trusting individual abilities, executing plans effectively, and fostering team bonding, which created a winning attitude,” Vincent, who played a key role in shaping the career of Andhra all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, said.

“This success will be a morale booster for the boys as they prepare for the upcoming U-19 World Cup. It was a great team effort, with some stellar individual performances from Arjun Mahesh, Utkarsh Srivastava, Amrinder Gill, Sahil Garg, and Darshan in batting. In bowling, Arya Garg, Advait Krishna, Supransh, Adit Kappa, Sabarish, Ansh Rai, Rahul Basu, and Shiv Sahani made significant contributions,” he added.

Comparing his coaching experience in the USA to that in Andhra, Vincent noted the challenges of working with scattered players. “In Andhra, we would have month-long camps and specific sessions before selecting the state team through matches. In the USA, it’s difficult to get all players together for camps due to geographical constraints and varying weather conditions,” he explained.

“The players train at their respective academies under local coaches to hone their skills. Today, there are qualified coaches in these academies, which has led to noticeable improvements,” he stated.

“To progress to higher-level teams, we will focus on individual strengths, correct technical flaws, build the right mindset for match situations, practise under pressure, and organise one-on-one skill improvement sessions,” Vincent shared.

“Cricket in the USA is growing rapidly, with many tournaments and leagues providing players opportunities to compete globally. Players are scouted through the Nationals tournament, where regional teams participate,” he said.

“Credit goes to the CEO, directors, and selectors of US cricket, who are working tirelessly to develop the sport,” he added.

Vincent’s next assignment is with USA men’s team as interim coach for a series of one-day and T20 matches in Oman. “We will train in Anand (Gujarat) for a week later this month to prepare for the turning tracks expected in Oman,” he concluded.