CRICKET | Vincent revels in taking USA under-19 squad to cup glory in South Africa

Former Andhra cricketer mentors USA under-19 team to first title in South Africa, preparing for Under-19 World Cup.

For former Andhra cricketer Vincent Vinay Kumar, it was an experience to remember when he mentored the USA under-19 team to its first major title-triumph in the recently-concluded Cubs Week one-day cricket tournament in South Africa.

“The biggest challenge was bringing together the players on the same platform. Chalking out game plans and trying to implement them during the matches is what I was trying to do as a coach. They were playing in different leagues,” Vincent said in a chat with The Hindu on his return to the city here.

“After losing the first match, we won the next four, including the final, to clinch the Cup. We all met for the first time at Cape Town and had practice sessions and worked on a few specific areas before we got into the matches,” Vincent said.

“We worked on a few technical issues and their mindset, making them understand the importance of having a winning mindset and believing in their own skills,” the proud coach said.

“The key factors for winning were trusting their own skills, implementing the plans and team bonding which created that winning attitude among the players,” Vincent said.

“This will be a moral booster for the boys who are preparing for the Under-19 World Cup to be held soon, ” Vincent said.

“To move to the next level, we will be working on individual strengths, on a few technical errors, having the right mindset to play according to match situations, practice under pressure situations and play against quality teams and have one -on-one sessions to improve the skills,” Vincent said.