CBP Ep 11: Thai talk with Harshal Pathak

Harshal Pathak is one of the shrewdest cricket coaches in the women’s circuit currently. He has overseen a steady rise of Thailand, a side that made its first appearance in a T20 World Cup earlier this year in Australia, having taken over reins of the team only in 2018. Thailand had a 17-match successive winning streak in T20Is ahead of the T20 World Cup Qualifier last year – a T20I record they snatched from Australia.

In the world tournament in Australia, Thailand almost came close to winning their first match in a World Cup, having posted a 150+ score against Pakistan, only for rain to wash away those hopes. Pathak recalled how the players were confident even after losing three matches on the trot.

Pathak is also credited to have played a role in the transformation of Harmanpreet Kaur, the Indian T20I captain, into a power-hitter. The head coach of Thailand discussed how he has been helping the team shift focus towards one day cricket from the T20s which were in focus last year. Thailand were to play the Women’s World Cup Qualifier that was originally scheduled for July 2020 but has been postponed owing to the pandemic.

Given his unique and innovative methods, expect Pathak to groom more players that would leave us amazed. He was candid in his assessment of Thailand’s performance in the T20 World Cup, giving an insight about his simple methods and revealing what the players have been up to since March.

Hope there is a constant smile as you listen tales and insights about the ‘cheerful team’!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1W2TflzuLy0KsHSTVRvPXY