He is full of heart - Arun Lal dazzled by Shahbaz Ahmed's temperament

Exhilarating victories, heart-wrenching losses, chronic injuries and competitiveness - Athletes derive several moral principles from the realm of sports. Success in sport is always gauged by victories achieved by a team as a whole. A strong player-coach relationship goes a long way in embedding the winning culture within the dressing room. 

In 2017, a promising 22-year-old youngster, who harboured the dreams of representing his country, moved to unfamiliar territory in pursuit of better cricketing opportunities. However, with nobody chaperoning him, Shahbaz Ahmed positioned himself away from the bog-standard lane and tried to develop his own virtue. He quickly made inroads into the Bengal side owing to a string of impressive performances in the club cricket tournaments. Bengal coach Arun Lal, who has faced and conquered a series of difficulties in life, was a source of guiding light for the all-rounder. The veteran knew the significance of building an environment in the dressing room that would stimulate youngsters to play better as a team. In what was his first full-fledged Ranji Trophy season, Shahbaz played an imperative role in Bengal's remarkable campaign, scoring 509 runs and scalping 35 wickets. 

"He's the core of our team. He's single-handedly won us four games. The crux of the matter is when you're 46 for 5, he goes and gets 80-odd runs, and has a 150-run partnership. When it's a turning track he gets runs. He didn't get us runs in Punjab, but he got us 11 wickets. If you look at him batting, he doesn't look very impressive, but he is full of heart, full of belief, and he adapts really well. If you tell him something, he tries to rectify it very quickly. He's very keen, very fit. His energy - if he's standing at third man and the captain wants him to bowl, he comes in running,” the Bengal head coach was all praise for the 25-year-old. 

Echoing the renowned saying, "Coaches are aware of how to ignite passion and motivate people," Arun Lal's efforts had successfully reaped rewards, guiding Bengal to the final of the Ranji Trophy after nearly a decade.