Nepal may have failed to make it to the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023, but their journey to the Qualifiers was nothing short of a breath of fresh air on the international cricket circuit. From struggling in League 2 to retaining their ODI status, while stitching a string of impressive performances under Monty Desai, their head coach, it has only been an upward curve for Nepal, who now gear up to participate in the upcoming Asia Cup 2023, to be played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Desai, in an exclusive interview with RevSportz, talked about a range of things, starting from injecting a never-stop-learning mentality, managing the transition from Paras Khadka to the next-gen players, captain Rohit Paudel, the franchise cricket world, playing against the big boys in Asia Cup 2023, Sandeep Lamichhane, his goals with the team and more.
Excerpts from the interview:
How was the experience in the ODI World Cup qualifiers? Though the team missed the cut, they won millions of hearts with their grit and determination at the top level…
Monty Desai: When someone says Nepal has won millions of hearts, it humbles me. So far, the journey has been a rollercoaster ride. When I walked into Kathmandu and met all the players, the journey you are supposed to be on, it had its own challenges. We were all able to quickly dive deep into the most important thing, to play good cricket, and to bring back the respect for Nepal’s ODI status. When it comes to the World Cup, it is mixed emotions. We had prepared well, mentally at least I thought, because the kind of results we were able to get in the games we played in the League 2 cycle plus the way we played in the Asia Cup qualifiers, I thought every individual was stepping up beautifully. One has to understand their role and understand the challenges. The mentality to win those one-ball battles was helping us to win phases and win games. And that is the sort of mentality we carried into the World Cup qualifiers. We showed that mentality in the very first game against Zimbabwe where our opening partnership was kind of a showcase of the kind of talent and skills they possess. But I expected a couple of results to go our way, wanted us to be at least in the Super Sixes to compete even more. But now I look back at it as growth, development and progress.
How did you manage the transition from Paras Khadka to the younger players? How did you look at some of the younger players in the squad who have grown immensely in the last few months.
Monty Desai: The biggest transition has been from Paras Khadka himself, who brought in quality leadership in this small country. I was always impressed with Paras’ approach, not only on the field but off it as well. He speaks from his heart; he breathes cricket. When you talk about the likes of Rohit Paudel, these are the boys who came from under his wings. In 2018, when they came to Zimbabwe, they had their story even then – a last-wicket partnership between Sandeep Lamichhane and Karan KC which brought them into the World Cup qualifiers. It was under him that they gained the ODI status, and I was with Afghanistan at that point.
The fast-tracking of players is going well. Rohit is shaping up well as a young leader. If we talk about Rohit, then I know for the fact that he would be extremely disappointed that he was getting starts during the qualifiers and not converting them into big scores. But again, that is a part of the journey. Gulshan Jha, I really wanted him to stay humble, grounded. He is fortunate and lucky, and I know that he is grateful about this opportunity. It’s the constant development that he should look forward to. His attitude is great, and he can definitely shape up into an excellent all-rounder for this country. There are other talented all-rounders as well in the team. In this four-year cycle, we have a great opportunity to not only shape the core of the team, but develop many other players around them. Overall, it is looking very positive.
What would you tell your players during the Asia Cup when they see the likes of Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Mohammed Shami and Shaheen Shah Afridi – the big players gearing up to take them on?
Monty Desai: It will be difficult to describe. I feel deeply heartfelt to see the kind of progress the players and this team has made. But the whole support staff contributed in this journey. Importantly, I am thankful towards the boys that they embraced the mentality which I wanted to educate them towards. I wanted to mould their attitude. We wanted to mould their attitude. And to be very honest, coming into the World Cup qualifiers, playing against the big boys whom you had only watched on television – that’s what the boys told me about the West Indies, and then to play against them. I can understand where those healthy nerves come from. If they play a few more games against big teams, they will quickly shift to the belief that ‘we belong here’. That is something which I am forcing on to them. As much as I try to put that in their minds, it is on them to believe that they belong. You have to constantly learn. After this, we will head to the Emerging Asia Cup where we will play against India A, Sri Lanka A and other teams. It will again be a platform for us to prepare for the Asia Cup. Overall, extremely happy for the boys for the number of games they have been able to play. It is all part of the learning is what I always tell them.
What has been your mantra when it comes to developing the players on the Nepal cricket circuit?
Monty Desai: We have created an environment, that is the mentality, which I mentioned earlier. Let us understand, there is a desire to represent your country and at the same time, you are trying to dig into your own identity. That’s the starting point of everything. So the skills they have, when they compete against others, and they are able to see that they are competing well, they are connecting with their identity. My message to them is strong and clear, which is “change your personality to change your personal reality.” At this moment, our personal reality is changing – we are a team with ODI status, we are ranking well – that is a personal reality and we can only go upwards.
Do the players understand the fact that a big performance against major teams like India and Pakistan can attract lucrative offers from franchise leagues? It can be a life-changer…
Monty Desai: I think they understand the gravity of playing for the country. It is a very interesting question. The feelings and emotions have purpose. Yes, some of those knocks will attract interest from franchise leagues. But my biggest question to them was when there is a franchise league and international games going on parallelly and someone offers you a hefty amount of money, will you go to play the league or play for your country? I am very glad to share this, all the boys said the same thing, that it is a dream to play for the country, against big nations. Today, it is looking like a fairytale, but only time will tell us how they grow as individuals, what remains their philosophy and vision of life, and when the call will come – will the money be their motivation or representing their country. Even I don’t have answers for that. But to answer your question, if their talent is recognised by the bigger nations or even the IPL, it is going to do wonders for their lives, their career, lifestyle, to their confidence as well.
There was plenty of controversy around Sandeep Lamichhane in the last few months. How did he tackle that phase?
Monty Desai: I only understand cricket life. In cricket life also, we eat, sleep, have a jog, have fun, enjoy music like any other person. But our lives revolve around cricket, so we have that cricket language. We speak in that cricket language. For me, Sandeep has connected very well to his cricket life. He understands the kind of responsibility he has in this country as a cricketer, and what impact he can leave with his performances. He should be proud of himself and his family, but more importantly how he can keep Nepal’s cricket on track. He is a superstar, there’s no hiding from that fact. He plays a lead role with the ball, and now plays a massive role with the bat too. His fighting attitude, his body language on the ground, rubs off beautifully on others. He is growing. He is slowly understanding what choices he needs to take to keep the cricket life intact because that’s what makes you happy. And with this kind of attitude, he will grow as a human being. One day, cricket is going to finish, and then people will remember you for your actions off the field. So far with his team, he has been excellent. I see him in the morning, doing his morning rituals with a ‘teeka’. He believes in keeping certain things at certain places, as in spiritually.
What’s next for Monty Desai?
Monty Desai: There’s lot to achieve. There are certain goals we have set. And that is what I am trying to work on. There’s a certain kind of life that I have designed and in that, I have chosen Nepal as a part of my life. The way I look at it is the next four-year cycle, what are the challenges we will face internally. We have to get better at our infrastructure. Then we have to see the kind of funding we get. We need to distribute that funding internally so that our plans work. My thoughts are around that at the moment. I think, self-management of the players is something I am proud about. What we are trying to do right now is use the small windows to continue their personal development, which is not necessarily part of our programme but we are trying to do that too so that the players keep developing. For me, the next immediate goal is the Emerging Asia Cup, where I would like to see our team progress. We are trying to get a few names who can be around the national team. Right now, we don’t have a developmental side and hopefully if the budgets are well-placed, then we will have our ‘A’ team. I have been voicing it for a while now. I know it is not under my complete control, there are budget restraints as well, but we are really hopeful. Then there is the Asia Cup, followed by T20 World Cup qualification, which we are hosting.
My contract is for two years and I can only think about those two years, stay committed to it and make this team very consistent. We are doing well but I will take out time to talk personally to the players and making them understand the thought process which will allow them to have a good action plan in place. The winning mentality, the champion mindset. Hopefully, we will get opportunities in some invitational tournaments in India. As we speak, there have been emails exchanged. Hopefully, that will convert into a plan and we get to play some red-ball cricket in India. I am committed to the next two years and hopefully if everything goes well, then the entire four-year cycle. I feel proud. We all play roles, and I am happy that I am able to play my role sincerely. But for my role to go well, I need support. I am glad that the kind of support staff I have, understands me. My grumpiness only comes behind closed doors and they get to face the negative side of it. Without my support staff, it would not have been possible.
Nepal head coach Monty Desai talks about injecting a never-stop-learning mentality, managing the transition from Paras Khadka to the next-gen players, captain Rohit Paudel and more in this exclusive conversation.@lalbabarice @AMRIHospitals @CricSubhayan #nepalcricket pic.twitter.com/Hu8rWyC26K
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) July 6, 2023
A word on the Nepal fans and the crowd that packed the stadiums in Nepal?
Monty Desai: They have been a huge motivation for the players. In my career, I have not got attached to certain things but when you see that crowd, you’ve got to feel attached. I am taking this opportunity to thank them. I would like to remind them that this is just a start, and I urge them to keep the support unconditional because everyone is putting in their efforts, sweating hard and as much as we keep gaining, the attitude of learning will continue to do its work. We couldn’t put up a great show in the World Cup qualifiers this year, but this is going to be start of a greater learning for us. I can promise them one thing – if things go according to plan, we will put up a great show in the next ODI World Cup qualifiers.
My humble request to ex-Nepalis who are all around the world. It is a developing country and an Associate Nation. If anyone wants to contribute and help these youngsters out, we will welcome them. I have also found a purpose in the small role that I have got with the Nepal team, and every step we take from here would be to make the nation proud.