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RCB analyst - now a protea analyst

diga

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diga Grand Master

diga

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Till last year, despite his association with the South African team, Prasanna Agoram was just one of the numerous inconspicuous video analysts in IPL. Times have changed for the 37-year-old in the Royal Challengers Bangalore corner. Prasanna is now an integral part of the support staff that has led the Proteas to the top of the Test rankings. His crowning glory was at Lord's in 2012 when Hashim Amla dedicated his century to him by drawing a box in the air. Having played for Tamil Nadu U-19 team, Prasanna first dabbled in umpiring. But it was in performance analysis that the gold medallist engineer found he could bring his disparate talents together. "I joined the National Cricket Academy in 2004 (after pleading with the guard to let him in). Thanks to Venkatesh Prasad, I was part of the U-19 team for the World Cup in 2006. I also worked with the hockey team, when they won 33 out of 40 matches," he recalls. Then came the Indian Premier League, and the Proteas link. "There were three South Africans in the RCB team, Dale Steyn, Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher, along with coach Ray Jennings. I got the offer (in 2010) because of the word they put in," Prasanna says. He was asked to join the Proteas immediately on their tour to Abu Dhabi to face Pakistan. "When I first got onto the bus with the likes of Graeme Smith and Kallis, it felt like facing my first ball in Test cricket with Steyn steaming in," laughs Prasanna. Though 'P-Dog' as he's called does get chided for his inability to learn Afrikaans, he makes up for it by his enthusiasm for the team's victory anthem, Protea Fire. And while he now spends close to 320 days a year away from his family, the special bond with the South African cricketers helps. "Hashim will ensure that I get home-made Indian food delivered to my hotel room, even if he's not in the same town as I am." He prides himself on being a thorough professional even when South Africa are facing India. Talking about the World Cup match of 2011 in Nagpur, he says: "I suggested that we take the batting powerplay immediately after Zaheer Khan's second spell to ensure that he bowls two more overs, and we don't have to face more than one from him in the death. And that won us the match." Last year, Cricket South Africa extended Prasanna's contract till the 2015 World Cup. In Morne Morkel's words: "Come 2015, he would have spent five years with us. We will be smart enough to give Prasanna a passport then and lock him with the South African team forever."
SRC: Ind Express
diga Grand Master

diga

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Even Dinesh Karthik attributes his improvement this year to Prasanna

An eye for technique "Prasanna is a next-generation coach. He's a cricket nut; he analyses technique minutely and is a whizkid with technology. There aren't many who can give you solutions to technical discrepancies like he can. He's a genius and no one can hold a candle to him," Basu says. Luckily for Karthik, South Africa were in the middle of a three-month break from international cricket following the 2011 World Cup, which meant he could have Prasanna to himself. Chennai also happened to be the analyst's hometown, where his wife and family resided. So enamoured was Karthik with his new coach's acumen that he asked Prasanna to move into his house, where he remained for 40 days. "I have never believed in the concept of 'form' in sport. If a sportsperson is not performing to his potential, it has to be a result of some technical discrepancy. And the key lies in spotting it," Prasanna says. As always, he didn't reach any conclusions till he had viewed hundreds of videos and split-screens of his client's recent outings in the IPL and in domestic cricket. The technical issues weren't as dire as Karthik had imagined. All he was found guilty of was of getting caught behind far too often while playing shots on the move, without a solid base. "We broke down his technique to its bones and began working on it from scratch. I gave him pointers on where he could make adjustments and he bought into it straight away. I made him play a few local TNCA Division One matches in Chennai, and the improvements were beginning to show," says Prasanna. Their schedule was hectic, but Karthik, according to Prasanna, worked untiringly in the unforgiving Chennai heat. "He's as dedicated as anyone I have seen, and I have worked with the likes of Amla and (Jacques) Kallis. He would face 700 balls in a day without taking a break. I would ask him to relax after 70-80 balls but his response would be 'Am I doing everything perfectly according to your blueprint?' And even if I said he was 80 per cent there, he would want to continue," Prasanna says. "On our way back, I would tell him that he faced 727 balls, and Dinesh himself would be shocked. They call me the energy tank back in South Africa, but Dinesh managed to tire me out." And their day wasn't done yet. Each night, the two would assemble again post-dinner, and Prasanna would brief Karthik about his findings, gathered from notes taken down after each ball faced in the nets. Even after Prasanna returned to South Africa, Karthik hounded him for suggestions. His phone rarely stopped ringing, and he continued to keep track of Karthik's domestic performances. "I would watch videos of him on my phone, and keep track of his scores wherever he was," Prasanna says. In the build-up to the IPL last year, Karthik, by now well settled with his new technique, sought a way to enhance his T20 game. Prasanna flew in for a three-day visit a few days before the event. "We booked a ground, got in bowlers of all kinds, and I gave Dinesh 90 scenarios based on T20 games and set targets for him to achieve," says Prasanna. "This was centre-wicket practice and we did drills for different shots." While Prasanna flew back, Basu kept an eye on Karthik's performances. He didn't taste success immediately, only managing 238 runs in IPL 5 at an average of 18.30, and was dismissed too often in the 30s. But then came the Champions League, followed by a run of consistent returns in domestic cricket, which included his becoming the highest run-getter in both the Corporate Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy, both 50-over tournaments. Then came IPL 2013. It isn't just Karthik's scores, but also his method, that has attracted notice. Wasim Jaffer has spotted key changes in his former Test opening partner's technique."Earlier he used to face up to the bowler in a ready position like a Kallis or a Gooch. Now, he taps his bat on the floor and looks more relaxed. It's giving him more balance while playing his shots as it gives him a solid base," says Jaffer. Karthik's natural hyperactive tendencies, Jaffer adds, led to indiscreet shot selection earlier on. Now, he says, Karthik seems to have calmed down. Short and sweet The biggest improvement in Karthik's game, according to Jaffer, is against the short ball, particularly how he now plays the short-arm pull off bowlers as quick as Morkel. Prasanna puts this down to Karthik's resolve to improve his game. "There were times he got hit in the ribs while practising against the bowling machine," he says. "But he wouldn't flinch, and insisted on continuing till he had mastered the shot." There's still a long way to go in IPL 6, but Prasanna doesn't hesitate to suggest that Karthik will remain in contention for the Orange Cap at the end of the tournament. But he is already preparing to deal with the inevitable phone call if Karthik somehow falls short. "I'm sure to receive a call from Dinesh," he says. "And he'll ask me, 'Prasanna how do we take my batting to the next level? How do I make up the 30 runs I fell short by?'"
diga Grand Master

diga

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I thought he was the Indian team analyst and Kirsten took him along once he quit Indian Coach's post and took up SA Coach's role.
I wish a day comes when Ind coaches are ubiquitous in the same way as Aussies
Lord Grand Master

Lord

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"He's as dedicated as anyone I have seen, and I have worked with the likes of Amla and (Jacques) Kallis. He would face 700 balls in a day without taking a break. I would ask him to relax after 70-80 balls but his response would be 'Am I doing everything perfectly according to your blueprint?' And even if I said he was 80 per cent there, he would want to continue," Prasanna says. "On our way back, I would tell him that he faced 727 balls, and Dinesh himself would be shocked. They call me the energy tank back in South Africa, but Dinesh managed to tire me out."
:hatsoff:
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