Daren Ganga launches cricket coaching series
By JOEL BAILEY Thursday, July 24 2014
DAREN GANGA, right, is all smiles as he is involved in a discussion with, from left-right, Brian Lara, Sports Minister Anil Roberts, Education Ministe...
EX- RED FORCE captain and West Indies opening batsman Daren Ganga launched the first volume of his cricket coaching DVD series yesterday.
Entitled “The Fundamentals” - one-on-one give instructions on the basics of the game as well as tips from the 35-year- old.
The event took place at the CL Financial Hospitality Suite, Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair, with a number of dignitaries in attendance, including Sports Minister Anil Roberts, Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh, cricketing great Brian Lara, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) Suruj Ragoonath, and fellow past and present national players Dinanath Ramnarine (ex-WIPA president), Sherwin Ganga, Lincoln Roberts, Rajindra Dhanraj, Richard Kelly, Imran Jan and Samuel Badree.
Also in attendance were members of the Daren Ganga Foundation.
The coaching series is designed to take a cricketer/enthusiast, regardless of skill level, from the basics to the advanced level, with chapters on the pitch and equipment, officials, players and fielding positions, batting, bowling, fielding and wicket-keeping.
In each chapter, the concepts are explained and proper techniques and drills are demonstrated in an exciting, stimulating and easy-to-use format.
In addition, “The Fundamentals” feature stories and tips from Ganga’s former Windies teammates Sir Curtly Ambrose, Ian Bishop, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ricardo Powell, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Sunil Narine, as well as WI women’s cricketers Anisa Mohammed and retired umpire Billy Doctrove.
At the launch, Ganga reflected, “as a young boy growing up in Barrackpore, cricket and football were a part of everyday life.
“My brothers, Sheldon, Sherwin and I would spend countless hours playing on the streets, in the yard and sometimes the neighbour’s yard, not to mention in school. And the Sunday cricket match, at the village ground, was a fixture for my family.”
After the trio started paying more attention to cricket, Ganga said, “we learnt from observing relatives. We also looked at players from the village and we would receive guidance from the schools’ coach (at Naparima College).
“That is how we got the start, that is how we learnt the game of cricket.”
He continued, “the problem is it is difficult to progress past a certain point in cricket without exposure to professional coaching for fine-tuning of technique, elevating performance and succeeding at the highest level.”
Ganga also touched on the role Lara played in his teenaged years, from his First Class debut in 1997 to his Test debut in South Africa a year later.
“He was my captain back then,” said Ganga. “I remember playing against Guyana here (at the Oval) in 1997 and then I got the opportunity to represent the West Indies team in South Africa in 1998.”
He continued, “a lot of the things that I’ve learnt as a player, in the formative years in my career, is because of Lara. The care, the comfort, the guidance, for that I’ll be very grateful.”
The former right-handed opening batsman made it clear that, “I wanted to take the opportunity to officially announce my departure from the game of cricket. But in doing so, I wanted to share my vision for the Cricket Coaching Series. That is to ensure that each and every young cricketer has a copy at no expense.”
