Seven years in the eco system and not just in cricket either, not only provided Surendra Bhave with many cherished moments, but also the perfect foundation for his coaching career. As a national selector he selected the ICC Test Mace winning squad and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 champions. In 2012, Bhave went back to the job he loves the most - coaching. He led Maharashtra to the Ranji Trophy final in 2013-14. In an exclusive interview with BCCI.TV, Bhave said he now looks forward to powering a resurgent Haryana Ranji team with a solid batting line-up. And there's also a personal element driving his desire to win. Excerpts: What does your role entail? I’m really excited with the kind of talent these young boys have in the Haryana team. The challenge I have is to fine tune the talent and show them the disciplinary way of cricket, whether it is batting, bowling or strategizing. I also want to work on the attitude of the batsmen as there have been times in the past when they have been guilty of throwing away their wickets and they have actually lost matches in the second innings when they had a lead in the first innings. I know that there has been some good work going on for the past few years but I need to take it forward and work with the batsmen specifically. I want to show to them how discipline can bring success to the team. How is the new role going so far? It will be wonderful to work closely with Ashwani Kumar and Narendra Hirwani. Ashwini has been the coach of the team for more than eight years. He knows the boys very well and is well respected within the ranks. Narendra Hirwani – I think is the best spin bowling coach in India. It was a pleasure to work with Hirwani as a national selector. This is another opportunity to work with a dear friend. In all we have a good team in place. We will try to make the best out of it. The home ground of Haryana in Ch. Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, Lahli is a bowler's paradise and a true test of any batsman's technique. Your role is very crucial considering you will be working with a lot of young batsmen. It is definitely going to be a challenge. I think we will be having at least four games at Ch. Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, Lahli during the upcoming Ranji season. I have been to Lahli to watch a few games as a national selector. I think it is a great challenge. One can say that there is a job cut out for me. I have to coach these young boys to get better scores on board. I am not shy of the challenge because I believe if one has got the right technique and temperament one can score runs at Lahli – if not centuries then at least innings which will decide the fate of the game at Lahli. I believe very strongly in preparations. I am very confident that I will be able to make a difference in that department. Having led Maharashtra to Ranji Trophy final both as captain and coach, what is the road map to clear that final hurdle with Haryana? I don’t have a ready answer to that question. Having lost the Ranji Trophy final twice has its own lessons. I have learnt my lessons. First I lost the Ranji Trophy final in 1992 as Maharashtra captain and then last year as a coach. I think this time it will be one match at a time. Every step towards the knockouts is very important. I also want to add that I have thoroughly enjoyed my stint with the Maharashtra state Ranji team. It was a great campaign last season. I will cherish the moments that made the journey beautiful. How was the transition from playing to coaching? The transition was smooth. I played professional cricket in England for about 11 years in five different leagues. In the middle part of my career I started coaching in England. In 2001, I retired and a year later I started coaching in a cricket academy in Pune. I continued my work at the academy till 2007 before I joined the Indian team as admin manager for the tour of Bangladesh in 2007. A year later the big appointment came in place in the form of national selector. But coaching has always been my first love. I have always enjoyed passing my experiences with the junior players even when I was playing. This is something which comes naturally to me. How would you describe yourself as a coach? I think your relationship with the players is important. The player has to relate with you and with what you are telling him. I think man management is very important. I focus on building relationships with the boys. I think it was the connect with the boys last year which helped Maharashtra do well in the Ranji Trophy. As a coach one cannot claim to make another Rahul (Dravid) or Sachin (Tendulkar). I believe that if I am able to help a player play to his full potential then it is job done. Lastly, which coach had the biggest influence on your career and why? Without a shadow of doubt it is David Trist from New Zealand. He was a visiting faculty at the Pune academy from 2002 to 2008 and I have spent a lot of time with David. His connect with the players was amazing. When he first came to the academy none of the players could even understand what he was saying but he used me as a translator. I think it is a great quality of a teacher or a coach to pass on the correct message to the team and be very clear in his messages. His contribution in shaping up my career as a coach has been tremendous. Haryana 15-member Ranji Trophy squad: Avi Barot, Abhimanyu Khod, Sunny Singh (Captain), Sachin Rana, Rahul Dalal, Nitin Saini, Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra, Joginder Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Ahsish Hooda, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Hooda, Kamran Shaikh, Priyank Tehlan.