Respected Auckland-based coach Shoruban Pasupati has been confirmed as the new Counties Manukau Men’s coach for the 2021-22 season.
Pasupati takes over the reins of the region’s premier team from former Black Cap Tarun Nethula and will bring a wealth of coaching experience to the table.
Married with two primary school-aged kids, Pasupati has had 15 years of coaching cricket in numerous different environments and is a passionate cricket fan.
“Very proud and excited and I just can’t wait to get started, get the trainings started and meet the boys and get into it really,” Pasupati told Counties Sports Hub.
“I love the game – I just think cricket is a wonderful game where people can become better people. It has been the reason why I have become a better human being. The immersion into cricket to improve not just myself but others.
“I have tried my best to keep improving and tinkering here and there to find better ways of doing trainings and managing people.
“I think it is important to have fun and to enjoy learning.”
Pasupati was a very handy cricketer himself, playing at Hawke Cup level in North Otago, Hutt Valley and Manawatu. He moved quickly into coaching during the twilight of his playing career and has enjoyed success wherever he has been.
“I am a teacher by trade so cricket coaching is something that I could do with my day job,” he said.
“I started [coaching in premier cricket] with Uni-Ellerslie, which was a merger. I co-coached with another guy. That was for a couple of years, and then I thought I had some playing left in me and I went back and played at Parnell.
“Then Suburbs came knocking and that was pretty much when I became the head coach and I found out what coaching was like.”
He worked with noted first class players like Sean Solia as well as internationals like Jeet Raval, Michael Bates, Martin Guptill and Daryl Tuffey.
“We had some really good times there and worked with and developed some great cricketers.
“I learned a lot – not just how to coach – but get the best out of different individuals. These guys didn’t need me to tell them how to do an off-drive or whatever but how to get the best out of them in this team.
“We had a couple of brilliant years.”
He went on to coach successfully at Takapuna and more recently Grafton before taking on the Counties Manukau role.
He’s already caught up with outgoing coach Tarun Nethula as well as Counties Manukau captains Sam Varcoe and Sandeep Patel.
“The last month or so has been all about fact finding. Spencer [CMCA Pathway Manager Spencer Cramer] has been great and sent through all the score sheets from last year. I had a chat to Tarun about his thoughts on what he improved and what his thoughts are going forward.
“Sam and Sandeep were fantastic – we had a good chat about the players and their thoughts on those players.”
Pasupati will link up with the team as soon as the current COVID Alert Levels allow.
He is the older brother of former first class cricketer Mayu Pasupati.
Article published by Counties Sports Hub
https://countiessportshub.co.nz/pasupati-new-counties-manukau-mens-coach/
