Abhishek Nayar has played a key role in Mumbai’s run to the quarter-finals in the Ranji Trophy 2012-13 season. The all-rounder has contributed with the bat and the ball throughout the season for the team. In the ongoing quarter-final match against Baroda at the Wankhede Stadium, Nayar brought up his third century of the tournament this year and was unbeaten on 122 at stumps on Day 2. The middle-order bat has worked on his batting as the tournament has progressed. While speaking to media later in the day, he spoke about his ultimate goal of turning out for India and working with Pravin Amre towards achieving that goal.
After Wasim Jaffer returned to the pavilion earlier in the day, the left-hand batsman anchored the Mumbai innings to take them to 524 for the loss of six wickets at the end of day’s play by stitching vital partnerships with Dhawal Kulkarni and Aditya Tare. He was batting with Ankit Chavan at the other end when play ended on the second day and was looking forward to building on the total on the third day as he told the media later.
Excerpts from his media interaction:
On what he has done to be consistent this season
I have bigger goal in mind and I don’t want to relax at any point of time. I am just trying to make sure that whenever I get a chance, I don’t take it for granted and make sure that I make the most of every opportunity I get because obviously I am playing for a bigger reason than just getting runs. I want to get back into the Indian team and do well there as well. My target is up there, so I am trying to make sure I push myself to the limit and get the best out of myself.
On what was his goal while going in to bat
Initially, when I went in to bat, we were just looking to bat because we had lost Wasim [Jaffer] early and I was batting with Dhawal [Kulkarni], so I just wanted to make sure that we built partnerships make sure because in games like that partnerships very important because the more partnerships you have the bigger total you can get. And I feel that we were looking to bat as much as we can, so that once the ball starts turning like it is turning a bit now we can make the most of it. I was just trying to have partnerships with whoever comes in to bat and get as many runs as I can on the board.
On the target that team has in mind
It’s a five-day game, so we do have time and we can keep on batting and pile on as many runs as we can in the first innings. Obviously, we are trying to play just one inning and try and not go to two innings and try and get as many runs as we can so that’s the target as of now. We have had a plan. We haven’t got any instructions from Ajit [Agarkar] as yet. We are just looking to but as of now and make sure we get enough runs to win this game easily.
On how difficult was it for him to concentrate in the middle while facing the Baroda attack
We have played good attacks and we have played very good attacks but I think with good attacks is that you have attacking fields so it is easier to get runs, you get runs faster and your scoring rate is higher but with this kind of attack they were bowling in one area which was quite irritating after a while we had to really grind for runs and they already had a very defensive field so for us to get runs we had to really work hard for them. And the pitch was a bit on the slower side so obviously we had make runs and we had to play strokes with a lot of power to get runs. They were quiet disciplined with whatever they did and they didn’t give away a lot of runs, even though they didn’t have any out and out fast bowlers. They were very consistent with whatever they did, so I think it was hard work for us to go and get runs but we are pleased with how things have gone.
I have nothing in mind. I haven’t been told anything so no target as such. We are just looking to bat as much as we can. And get as many runs as we can.
On opening his stance and changing his technique
When I started off this season and as I have gone through the season, I have been working with Pravin Amre a lot. I make sure I am in touch with him before every game and work on whatever we have done and make sure my videos go to him and see whatever I need to do or not. I was working on my stance. I don’t want to fall across so I was looking to play straighter and make sure I had enough time to time the ball through the on-side and the off-side so I just keeping that in mind I had opened up my stand so that my leg doesn’t fall across and I don’t fall over. So it is a conscious effort that I have made in the last game and this game. So in the last two games while I have been batting I have been making sure I don’t repeat my mistakes like I did last year.
I have worked on everything that I could during the off-season with Pravin Amre. We decided that as the tournament goes and the way I am batting we try and make changes and get better. When I started batting I wasn’t very open, I was very side-on but as the tournament went on we thought that we make sure that my leg doesn’t go way outside the off-stump, so I had to get more open in my stance so that’s why we made the change that we did.
On his role and increased responsibility
I have enjoyed pressure and responsibility in whatever I have done in life. So, for me just to be part of the team and make sure that I can perform as consistently as I can and do well for this team has been a brilliant experience for me. We are in the quarter-finals and we are looking good we are in a decent situation and hopefully our situation gets better and we can just forward and look forward.
On getting to three figures
After the first two games, I have got about seven fifties and a lot of times I was left not out so I was quite frustrated with that. Yesterday, when I was speaking to my manager he told me I need to get hundreds and not stop at fifties. So, I had told him, ‘Don’t worry. When the time is right, I will.’ So I was lucky enough to get one today.
