Hyderabad trainer key cog behind Nepal's exemplary success

Associate cricket nation Nepal has taken great strides in world cricket ever since their inception. And now they have extended their ambitions by qualifying for the ICC Cricket World Cup one-day Qualifier that will be held in Zimbabwe from March 4 to 24. The fast-improving nation qualified after finishing top of the table in the Division 2 tournament that was held in Namibia recently. In the fifth and final six-team league match, they edged past Canada by one wicket.

Nepal will now be vying against teams like former world champions West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Netherlands and others for a place in the 2019 World Cup to be held in England. Interestingly, much of their success is owed to an imperative contribution from an Indian. Former Hyderabad Ranji Trophy trainer N Subhash Chandra Patro played a prominent role in Nepal’s fine run. Being appointed as a trainer in July, the 32-year-old has been part of the of Nepal’s cricket campaign since the last year.

Excited at the results, Patro said to Telangana Today, “It is good to see Nepal qualifying for the Qualifier tournament. They have been playing some outstanding cricket in the last few years. Apart from improving their cricketing skills, they have also shown tremendous progress in physical fitness. Their fielding is as good as any team in the world. They are fierce competitors.”

In fact, Patro is the second Hyderabadi to assist the Nepal side after former Test left-arm spinner SL Venkatapathy Raju, whose role as mentor and director of the team had come in for a high praise.

Patro switched to athletics from cricket

A native of Berhampur in Odisha, Patro was a batsman and represented the State in U19 tournament before switching over to athletics. He became a long-distance runner and even attended the national athletics camp at Patiala. But in 2004 he quit athletics and completed the NIS course as a trainer. He then came did his course as cricket trainer in the National Cricket Academy.

Patro has previously trained the Hyderabad under-19 cricket team in 2010-11 and in 2015-16 he was part of the Hyderabad Ranji Trophy support staff as a trainer. He is currently in his hometown for a short break. An integral cog in the Nepal setup, Patro will be back in Kathmandu next week before the team leaves for Zimbabwe on February 24.