A couple of households from Odisha's cricket circle - Mohantys and Paridas - were brimming with joy in the space of just a few hours across Friday and Saturday. Households that had known each other for a long time with the proud duo having represented the state during its glorious years. On Friday, when the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators appointed the former India fast bowler Debasis Mohanty to India's junior selection committee as a replacement for his ex-India teammate Venkatesh Prasad, it essentially meant that the former would not be able to hold any position at his state cricket team. Mohanty had earlier served as the coach of Odisha cricket team from 2011 to 2017, during which the team scaled its first quarterfinal spot in 16 years. After the team went through a disastrous season last year under the supervision of former India Test opener Shiv Sunder Das, unable to win a single game, the top job fell in Mohanty's cradle again. However with the latest appointment, Odisha Cricket Association's working committee turned to Rashmi Ranjan Parida to take over the mantle.
Parida appointment stokes optimism for troubled Odisha
Mohanty and Parida were a part of that 2000-01 team that saw the then Orissa team through to its only semifinal in Ranji Trophy. While that's the closest Mohanty got to the silverware both as a player and head coach, Parida managed to win it twice as a professional with Rajasthan, named the Man of the Final on the first occasion.
Parida, unarguably the most successful batsman the state has produced, was already a part of Odisha's coaching setup since last playing for Himachal Pradesh in the 2014-15 season. He straddled between the batting coach's role to, till this new appointment, serving as a selector in the senior selection committee. "I honestly haven't had the time to think about this new position at all, I got to know of it today, perhaps a little before you guys came to know of it. I will surely get down to creating a roadmap for the team but right now, I am quite blank," Parida, who is among the top ten run-getters in the history of Ranji Trophy, told Cricbuzz.
Odisha's domestic season will kick off with the Vijay Hazare Trophy starting in three weeks' time, which leaves Parida with even lesser time to chalk out a plan and get the boys to sync with his ideas. The 41-year-old believes that with the one-day competition being played ahead of the four-day format, it will be a challenge for him to spot the talent. "Generally, days cricket provides a better view of the cricketers and as the longish tournament goes on, we tend to zero down on the boys who we want in the one-day unit. Now, with the one-dayers scheduled ahead, we would need to ensure handing opportunities to new talent and at the same time, make the right combinations."
With the Indian domestic season