I just want to start off by mentioning how great it has been working with Kings XI Punjab so far. Ever since I joined Kings XI I have been pretty excited. I think what has been really special is meeting Preity (Zinta), Ness (Wadia) and Mohit (Burman) face to face and seeing how passionate they are about the franchise. That’s really the first thing you see because it is the sort of passion that I want to bring to Kings XI and it’s nice to be able to resonate with the owners. I really hope to drive this franchise forward into the next decade.

Being in Punjab has been an amazing experience. I like the Punjabi way of life. The way the city is structured, it’s very clean and not as busy as others, so for me it is very comfortable. Punjabis enjoy life a lot! They are very sociable people.

Punjab di gallan

I’ve learned a few words so far, such as Namaste, Shukriya but one word that has stuck with me has been the word Baahubali. I’m sure I’ll pick up a few Punjabi words in the next few weeks as well.

Just Nath his day

The camp has gone well. I’m generally a very relaxed character, so that lends itself to a good clean environment with a few serious anecdotes throw in from time to time. It’s a good mixture of fun and hard work.

I think the funniest moment at the camp was when we had our simulation with Manzoor Dar batting. He missed the ball and Akshdeep Nath took off in a flash while Manzoor remained rooted on the other end. Akshdeep had to double-back but still got run out at the other end. So I asked Manzoor, ‘Mate how come you didn’t run?’ and he said he couldn’t run because his new spikes got stuck in the wicket since this was the first time he had worn full spikes! We found that quite amusing and he had a big smile on his face, but Akshdeep Nath of course got run out and may not have been particularly amused.

Ashwin enjoying his turn

All jokes aside, someone I have been very impressed with during this camp has been Ravichandran Ashwin. He has really been engaging the playing group and the staff. I think it’s really pleasing for a coach to see that from his leader. He is extremely passionate and really engaged.

It has also been really great spending time with Viru (Virender Sehwag) and Venkatesh (Prasad) and the rest of the staff. We are busy driving people forward and having them work harder so that they are fully prepared for the season to come.

Through this camp we hope for everyone to learn the team’s values, understand everyone else and be able to communicate and really get a sense of what the Kings XI Punjab franchise wants to be for the next 3-5 years. We’re working hard to create a winning culture and environment.