Attributing Mumbai's successes in the domestic cricket circuit during his tenure as captain to the ``excellent partnership'' between him (as skipper) and Sandhu (as coach), Manjrekar felt such co-ordination went a long way in executing strategies to near perfection.

``It's very important for the coach and the captain to understand and assess the players at their disposal. Much can be learnt by keeping an eye on the player's perception off the field too. Temperament varies from individual to individual and it is for the coach and the captain to bring out the best in each.''

Manjrekar underlined the importance of team strategy by illustrating the 1996-97 Mumbai-Delhi Ranji final. ``After we had raised 600 plus, Delhiwere 100-odd for the loss of two wickets by the third day. I was very confident that Delhi, with the likes of Raman Lamba and Ajay Sharma in their ranks, would make a match of it. At the team meeting that evening, we planned a defensive strategy for the next two days. We were up against a very strong team, unlike what we had encountered in the run-up to the final. I think we won the title on the third evening by devising the strategy. Had we gone with the arrogance of being the best team, we would have ended up on the losing side.''

Terming the encounter as ``the best first-class match I ever played,'', Manjrekar said, ``it is a great feeling when strategies are successful.''

He advocated the theory of assigning roles to each player as another ingredient for success. ``We had coined a slogan, Apna kaam karo, during the later part of the season. It meant every player should forget everything and do what he has been assigned. These roles were given after assessing the player's strength andweaknesses.''

Manjrekar strongly decried the advise that is often given to debutants. ``By saying `don't be nervous,' you are implying that there is something to be nervous about which leads the newcomer being a bundle of nerves during the match. My theory was to advise the player into performing a certain task, like bowl a particular line if he is a bowler. By doing so the player is focussed.''

While repeatedly stressing the importance of planning, Manjrekar revealed he learnt a lot while playing against Australia and South Africa.

He strongly emphasised the need for a camp after the season ends for the Mumbai Ranji and under-19 teams. ``I remember Dilip Sardesai had held such a camp which benefited me a lot. Such season-end camps are immensely helpful in self-improvement, since there is nothing to worry about.''

Manjrekar's lecture was one of the highlights of the clinic which has been modelled on the lines of the Australian Cricket Module. As many as 21 coaches of the city are attending thefour-day clinic which lays accent on the bio-mechanical aspects of the game, team-building exercises, role of a coach, transactional analysis etc, supplemented with video clippings.