By Alesha Capone
Point Cook Cricket Club has appointed a new head coach and assistant coach for its 2020-21 season.
Hari Krishan, who recently moved to the west and spent three years as a captain and coach at Dandenong West Cricket Club, has been appointed as Point Cook’s head coach and First XI captain.
James Peterson, who debuted at Point Cook in the Under-11s, has been appointed as an assistant coach and also continues in his role as First XI vice-captain.
Krishan has 20 years of experience, including first class cricket in India and as part of an IPL camp with the Kolkata Knight Riders.
He has also been coached by Sir Dennis Lillee at the MRF Pace Bowlers Academy.
Krishan said that he was “very excited” to be appointed to his new roles at Point Cook.
“I’m thankful for the panel/committee to have considered me for this.
“I’m very confident and envision myself in helping our club have a strong footing and be progressive at the same time.
“As a head coach, I endeavour to help develop the club players in skills/fitness and approach.
“I will be developing some comprehensive training programs to understand the existing skill level and areas I’d need to work on.
“As a captain, I’m looking forward to a promising season (hopeful to get a Laurel)”.
Krishan said that he was also a strong supporter of women’s cricket, especially at a junior level (Under-16) as Australian Cricket promotes and encourages young girls to take up the sport.
“I think our club could give a very good platform to girls who envision to take that journey and play at higher levels,” he said.
“I’m glad that our club supports my vision in this context and that makes it very dynamic.
Krishan said that for young players hoping to become professional cricketers, it was important they have a vision to fuel their drive to achieve their ambition.
“Then it’s imperative to prepare them to have the right mindset to navigate through the roadmap of playing professional cricket (as it’s not an easy road),” he said.
“It takes a lot of mental and physical endurance and persistence to become an established player. It’s not an overnight journey but an organic process to develop and grow and play at that level.”
Peterson said he has seen the Point Cook club grow tremendously across the past 15 years.
“The depth of young talent we have at Point Cook makes it such a desirable place to stay and I cannot wait for the challenges of being an assistant coach,” he said.
“The prospect of working alongside our new senior coach Hari and all our fantastic junior players is one of the main reasons I wanted to become an assistant coach at Point Cook.”
Peterson said that as assistant coach, he was looking forward to “being able to pay back the club which has played such a massive role in my life”.
“It is all about the people for me,” he said.
“We are so lucky to have such a diverse background of players at Point Cook and the support I have received over the past 15 years, from both past and present players is the reason why I love Point Cook and wanted to be an assistant coach.
In addition, Peterson said that the prospect of working alongside Krishan and all the “fantastic” junior players was one of the main reasons he wanted to become an assistant coach at Point Cook.
“Our first eleven has been in the mix the last few years but some poor finals performances have left us disappointed,” he said.
“With the competition expanding to 10 teams, it will only be even tougher to go all the way, but our sights are firmly set on winning a first eleven premiership and moving up the divisions.
“I am so excited to be able to play a role in that journey.”
Point Cook Cricket Club’s president Adrian Farrier said that due to uncertainty around COVID-19, the club did not formally appoint coaches last season.
“Instead, individuals stepped up from within the club to collectively perform the head coach roles,” he said.
“Nevertheless, our top four senior teams still managed to make finals.
“For the first time in our history, last season we fielded six senior teams in turf cricket. We are aiming to match or improve on this in the coming season.”
Farrier said that Point Cook Cricket Club was culturally diverse, with a growing proportion of junior and senior players with Indian backgrounds.
“I believe Hari’s Indian background, combined with the cultural diversity of our other coaches and club officials will be a major boost to our junior and senior player groups,” he added.
Point Cook Cricket Club is looking for new players, both male and female, of all ages.
Details: pointcook.vic.cricket.com.au/, www.facebook.com/PointCookCricketClub
