“My journey as a sports person started in Chikamagaluru while playing for the school team. I later moved to Bangalore and graduated as a B.Com student following which I joined the Swastic Union Cricket Club. Fast forward to 1996, I was a Probable for Karnataka Ranji Trophy for three years with no breakthrough. Which is why I decided to start my life as a coach. After working for the Karnataka Cricket Association for a few years, I started my own coaching academy in 2012.”

“Initially, as a coach, I used to enforce my style and opinion on my students. One of the boys I was coaching was a wrong foot bowler. I was insistent on changing his wrong foot action believing that it wouldn’t help him in the long run. Confused, the boy stopped coming to my sessions. This incident hit me hard. I started reading and talking to other coaches about cricket and coaching which helped change my approach to the same.”

“Cricket, like any other sport, is a skill. One might be the healthiest and the fittest person you know but without any skills, he/she will have no advantage over the others. Especially when it comes to batting since it is a subconscious act. Response time needs to be faster. Better decision-making skills mean better performance all the time.”

“There will come a time when the sport becomes a task for children when they are pressurized to perform. Coaches and parents should step back and allow their kids to play and have fun. Eventually, they will realize that there is no need for interference. This is the reason I like to see people smile when they come to my academy. It assures me that they are having fun. At the end of the day, that is all that matters. I am RX Muralidhar.”