Saurabh Walkar, the performance analyst who previously worked with the Mumbai Ranji Trophy-winning team, has been hired by the New Zealand cricket team for the ODI World Cup 2023.
He will start his duties on August 30 during a T20 series against England, but his main responsibility will be preparing Tom Latham & the team to handle spin-friendly pitches in the sub-continent during the showpiece event, which will be held in India from October 5.
At present, Walkar is associated with the Manchester Originals in The Hundred, where Jos Buttler is leading the team. However, he is thrilled to join the New Zealand squad and is eager to assist them in their preparations for the World Cup.
He emphasized the significance of Indian pitches and plans to focus on that aspect to develop effective strategies. Being a part of the New Zealand team is a significant opportunity for him, as he expressed during his conversation with mid-day from Cardiff on Wednesday.
“I’ve begun my preparations for all the teams, with a particular focus on India. The New Zealand team is looking to receive specific insights about Indian players from me. I have prior experience working with Mumbai senior team players like Rohit Sharma, Surya Yadav, and Shardul Thakur. Alongside that, I’ll also gear up for the major tournament and provide support to NZ’s head coach, Gary Stead,” Walkar commented.
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With extensive experience as a performance analyst, Saurabh Walkar has dedicated eight years of his career to working with the Mumbai cricket team. After completing his engineering degree, he decided to pursue his passion for sports biomechanics by undertaking a one-year course in Chennai in 2006.
His initial role as an intern in 2007 with Mumbai involved assisting performance analyst Venkatesh Gurumurthy. Beyond his tenure with Mumbai, Walkar has also contributed his expertise to teams like Rajasthan Royals and the Afghanistan squad during the 2021 World Cup.