Khadka to lead Nepal in World T20 qualifier
Paras Khadka will lead Nepal in the World T20 qualifier to be held in Ireland and Scotland from July 9 to 26
ESPNcricinfo staff
11-Jun-2015
Nepal won two of their three games in the 2014 World T20 • AFP
Paras Khadka will lead Nepal in the World T20 qualifiers to be held in Ireland and Scotland from July 9 to 26. Gyanendra Malla has been named Khadka's deputy in the 15-man squad that also features Subash Khakurel, Shakti Gauchan, Sagar Pun and Sharad Vesawkar. Siddhant Lohani, 20, has been included in the senior side for the first time.
Monty Desai, who has worked as coach with Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, has been appointed the side's batting coach.
Desai said his familiarity with some of Nepal's players helped him choose the team over UAE, which had also approached him. "[Nepal head coach] Pubudu [Dassanayake] and I know each other from the time we worked with Canada during the 2011 World Cup," he told ESPNcricinfo. "I have also worked closely with players like Pradeep Airee, Shakti Gauchan and also Paras Khadka when Nepal have come to India as part of some camps."
Desai, whose contract runs till July 31, hasn't joined the team yet, but has started to gather information on the players. "I am already asking questions to the players on email and studying the roles they are playing in the team. I am also looking at the overall performance throughout the year and watching videos of the players.
Desai said working with people who had gone through such a life-altering tragedy would be his biggest takeaway. "For me it's a big learning curve to work with those who have seen something like this happen from so close and yet gather courage to come and play. Some of them must have lost their close friends and relatives.
"There is a huge following for the cricket team in Nepal. There will definitely be hunger and determination among players to give something back to their nation. As coaching staff, our approach will always be to keep things normal and make them believe in their abilities."
Nepal made their mark in international cricket by qualifying for the 2014 World Twenty20, but they couldn't get past the group stage, finishing second after Bangladesh in Group A with two wins in three games. The team was granted T20 international status in June 2014, along with Netherlands.
Nepal squad: Paras Khadka (capt), Gyanendra Malla (vice-capt), Subash Khakurel (wk), Som Pal Kami, Shakti Gauchan, Binod Bhandari, Sagar Pun, Sharad Vesawkar, Basant Regmi, Karan KC, Rajesh Pulami Magar, Siddhant Lohani, Pradeep Airee, Jitendra Mukhiya, Anil Mandal