Newly-appointed sports psychologist Soumendra Saha has joined the Bangladesh cricket team on Wednesday, hoping to enhance the mental strength of struggling Tigers.
Soumendra was accompanied by his wife Srilekha Saha, a doctorate in sports psychology, when he visited the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium to see the practice of national players in the afternoon.
The couple had previously worked at the BKSP and thus are already familiar to some of the players, who graduated from the institution. National team manager Tanjeeb Ahsan Saad introduced them to the rest of the players and coach Jamie Siddons and his coaching staff and they spent some time together.
Soumendra said he will not be working on a permanent basis and rather will assist the Tigers from time to time. His initial assignment will prolong for three weeks.
‘Basically I will try to synchronise my visits keeping in line with the schedules of the national side and according to their needs,’ Soumendra told reporters after his orientation.
‘I know players are aware of the expectations and are quite capable of handling their problems. I just want to guide them ahead,’ said Soumendra, an Indian national based in Malaysia.
‘My wife will assist me in preparing the data and analysing them and while I will be more inclined to interact with the players both individually and in groups,’ said Soumendra.
‘I already have some data about some players and I hope to add the others to my database as soon as possible. It can be done only through observation and experimentation,’ said Soumendra.
