Bengaluru

Newly-appointed Karnataka coach R Vinay Kumar said understanding the mindset of current generation players and adapting to it will be his primary challenge, as they “need more freedom.”

Former India pacer Vinay replaced Yere Goud ahead of the 2026-27 domestic season, and his state coaching stint will start with the match against Andhra at Vijayawada on October 11.

“Normally what happens when a player becomes a coach, there will be a big gap. Sometimes, as a coach, they try to follow the same way they played cricket. But for me, I led Karnataka for almost 10 years, and I strongly feel the captain is like a coach,” Vinay told PTI before leaving for Vijayawada.

“So, it has given me an idea as to how to take care of everyone and take everyone together to achieve a goal. Yeah, the challenge... you know, I feel more than the challenge it is a way of understanding the players.

“The current generation of players, they need the freedom. We can't ask them to do what we did when we started our playing career. As a coach, I need to adapt to their style and you need to have that understanding of current players,” he said.

Vinay then stressed on treating each players individually depending on their mindset and needs.

“It's (coaching) different from player to player. Some senior players just need man-management and some upcoming cricketers need the guidance. Sometimes giving them the freedom and making them understand exactly what we want from them and what the team wants. If I can help them understand, then nothing like it.

“For me, it's all about players because they are the ones who are going to do the job in the middle. So, if they are in a good frame of mind, I think most of the job will be taken care of,” he said.

Ravichandran Smaran will lead Karnataka in the absence of Devdutt Padikkal, who is away on India A duty.

Will the presence of a 23-year-old Gen Z cricketer at the helm make his job of communicating with a largely young squad that much easier?

“Yeah, it’s a good thing. Smaran and Devdutt are in the same age group. I have worked with Dev in the Hubli Tigers (in the KSCA Maharaja Trophy T20). I have seen Smaran leading other teams and the Karnataka under-23 side. So, I know how they operate.

“One guy (Devdutt) is already in the Indian team. The other guy (Smaran) is on his way to reach that Indian team setup. So, when you have somebody like that as a leader, I think it will be very easy for a coach to bring the similar kind of mindset from other upcoming cricketers.

“So, in a way, it's definitely a blessing. Smaran is a very good cricketer as well as a good leader. I think we are not going to get them for many games (because of India A duty).

“But in the absence of Devdutt, how he is going to take up the challenge (in the initial rounds) and do the good thing for Karnataka, it's very interesting to see,” he said.

However, Vinay will also have to manage senior names like Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Shreyas Gopal etc through the season.

The 42-year-old expected them to lead Karnataka’s campaign and groom the young players in the dressing room.

“My expectation is very simple. Their (seniors) role will be very important. One, they have to perform well and they also need to groom upcoming cricketers. So, I think it's very important for them to understand their role and play their cricket freely,” he said.

He urged the veteran players to fall back up on their vast experience to hurdle over the challenges.

“They need not have any pressure or any baggage. They need to enjoy their game. They already know what exactly to do to be successful. Karun, Mayank and all, they have played for the country and have done very well.

“So, the seniors will definitely help me in making upcoming cricketers to understand what exactly they need to do to achieve certain goals,” he added.

However, Vinay will not have the services of injured pacers Vidwath Kaverappa and Vyshak Vijaykumar.

“We are going to miss them, their experience and their quality. But sometimes we can't help it. They have been working very hard to recover and they are coming for training. So, I think they will be missing a few games. Hopefully, Vidwath and Vyshak might be ready for the second game.

“But it's a blessing in disguise for upcoming cricketers. If all the senior players were fit, they might not have got any opportunity to play for Karnataka. So, now they have got their opportunities.

“Now, it is completely up to them to encash that. They need to showcase their talent and use this platform to go to the next level,” he noted.

Vinay’s motivation

Vinay has extensive coaching experience with MI Emirates in ILT20, and understanding of domestic cricket as an IPL scout and mentor of Puducherry.

So, what prompted him to take up a full-time coaching job with Karnataka?

“Yes, I have been coaching MI Emirates in T20 format and then worked as a scout. But I always wanted to take up full-time coaching and taking up Karnataka is a moment of pride for me because whatever I am today is because of Karnataka cricket. So, to start my full-time coaching journey from Karnataka, nothing better than this. That was one of the biggest motivations for me.

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“I really enjoyed working with MI Emirates but now coaching in all three formats with Karnataka gives me immense pleasure. It is a chance to grow as a coach and learn many things in coaching,” he signed off.