Former India cricketer Sridharan Sriram, who has recently been appointed as Bangladesh's technical consultant, on Friday said his previous coaching experiences with Australia and IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore will stand him in good stead in his new assignment.
The 46-year-old, who will be associated with the Bangladesh team in the Asia Cup and the upcoming T20 Cup World in Australia in October, said he is pretty clear about his responsibilities.
Sriram was appointed Australia's spin bowling coach in 2016 under then chief coach Darren Lehmann and also served as RCB's batting and spin coach in 2020.
"I think it's(my role) very simple and I am very clear about my role here, probably bring the resources together. We got some very good skill coaches and I trust what they are doing completely and my job is to basically work with the captain, work with the team director and bring the skill coaches together," Sriram was quoted as saying by The Daily Star newspaper.
"Bring all the three components together and use my T20's experience of IPL and Australia and bring a strategy where we can use our resources properly and so I am very clear about my role and I am not saying I am leading the side and I am just trying to collaborate," he added.
Sriram, who amassed over 9,000 runs in first class cricket and earned a reputation as a prolific batter, also said that he is not carrying baggage of his playing days.
"I just forgot the fact that I was a player and it doesn't matter how many runs you have scored because at the end of the day I am here to help other people and that is my biggest strength and I don't carry baggage of my playing days, my frustration and my past into coaching," Sriram said.
"The others have different set of eyes and my experience of dealing with different cultures like work with the IPL, work with the Indian boys and work with the Aussie set-up and so I think there is a good mixture of the east and the west," he noted.
Sriram stated that he is aware of how the game of cricket is perceived in a country like Bangladesh and what is required of him in the given role.
"Coming into the culture like Bangladesh I understand the upbringing and I understand the way they approach the game and at the same time I can bring those professionalism and the expectations and I can really set clear expectations of what is required at this level from a professional stand point so I think it's a good sort of combination and I am looking forward to it," he said.
As a technical consultant with Bangladesh, Sriram will be closely working with the coaching panel that comprises South African legend Allan Donald, Sri Lankan Rangana Herath, and Australian Jammie Siddons.
Sriram added that while he will joining the side in a short notice and his goal would be to collaborate with everyone and not to dictate terms.
" I am carrying with a fresh set of eyes and I am carrying no baggage. What you are saying is news to me and so I am not looking it at that way and looking at fresh set of eyes and so I am bringing in my ideas and I am bringing in fresh energies and so and I am just wanting to get the team together and start afresh," he said.
Published - August 26, 2022 11:03 pm IST
