Ex-Mumbai Ranji team analyst Saurabh Walkar up for Afghan challenge

Saurabh Walkar

Former Mumbai Ranji Trophy-winning team's performance analyst Saurabh Walkar, 35, is gearing up for his maiden international assignment. Walkar will join the Afghanistan team in Abu Dhabi, where they will play three ODIs against Ireland, starting January 21. Former South Africa all-rounder Lance Klusener is head coach of the Afghanistan team.

Walkar's tenure will be till the T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in India later this year. "It will be a big challenge as well as an opportunity for me as, for the first time, I will be working with a national team and that too for such a long period. But I have prepared well for it," Walkar told mid-day.

Walkar was with the Ajit Agarkar-led and Sulakshan Kulkarni-coached Mumbai team that won the Ranji Trophy in 2012-13. Earlier, he had worked with the Shane Warne-led IPL outfit, Rajasthan Royals, from 2009 to 2011.

Explaining his role as performance analyst, Walkar said: "It's all about working on enhancing a team's performance. I have to work around the coach's mindset and understand what he wants. I have to believe his ideology and we have to be on the same page."

After the ODI series against Ireland, Walkar will proceed to Oman, where Afghanistan will play a Test, ODI and T20I series against Zimbabwe.

The Asia Cup, a Test series against Australia and the T20 World Cup are his other major assignments.

The series against Zimbabwe - a team coached by former India opener Lalchand Rajput - will be a big challenge, reckons Walkar.

"Being a Mumbaikar, I know how tough and sharp Lalu [Rajput] sir is as a coach. And apart from that, he has worked as the Afghanistan head coach too. So, he knows the Afghan team inside out and that will be a bigger challenge for me. I have to be cautious and well prepared for that Test series against Zimbabwe," remarked Walkar.