It is a no brainer that the team management has immense faith in the all-round capabilities of Stuart Binny. Memories of his six wicket haul in an ODI against Bangladesh, giving away just four runs, are still fresh in the minds. That performance is, in its own right, an answer to the ones who have always raised doubts about his ability as a bowler. If that wasnāt enough, a month later, he showed a lot of gumption with the bat, scoring 78 in the first Test against England. Binny clearly was there to stay, and he has.
āThe team has shown faith in me and it was important for me to come and do well here and play well for India,ā Binny said in an exclusive chat with bcci.tv. āEveryday is a learning process for me. I know that my game is not yet at a 100% with a lot to learn. Watching the guys practice and some of the other teams play in certain situations, that is where you learn how to play cricket.ā
As Binny gets into the intricacies of his game, he believes his tours abroad with the team over the last year or so have made him pay attention to details that will help him be effective in the World Cup.
āI know my limitations and my strengths. As a bowler I look at myself as someone who can bowl with the new ball and the semi new ball. In the last month that I have been in Australia, every pitch has been different so far, some have been quick, some have been slow, but it all boils down to adapting to situations and knowing what variations and lengths you can bowl on certain wickets.
āBefore I came to Australia, I was clocking 126kmph. I am clocking 134 right now. I have definitely worked on my fitness and am doing a lot more gym work now to gain those extra yards. I know for a fact that I cannot bowl at 140. My strengths are to swing the ball. The reason why I have been handed the new ball is to swing it and try and get wickets upfront. It is also a lot to do with the rhythm. When your pace goes up you also have to have a good stride to the wicket and have an important rhythm that day.ā
When asked if he has been working on certain variations, Binny explains, āMy stock delivery is the out-swinger and the variation could be the one that comes in. My in-swinger is not as sharp as some of the other bowlersā; it is the one that swings in the air, hits the deck and nips back.
Variations in your bowling are important and I have realised that if you are bowling with the new ball and you have bowled ten deliveries going away, then youāve got to bowl one coming in or else you will be going for runs knowing that you are only going to bowl out-swingers.
āAlso, for me the bouncer is a variation since not too many players would be expecting a bouncer at my pace. If I have the field in place, I would slip in a bouncer and it could be a normal bouncer or a slower bouncer. I need to bowl good areas, back of a length and swing the ball. I know the batsmen are going to take me on as a third seamer or as guy who is bowling 130s. I am going to use it as a weapon to get wickets as well.ā
Not just with the ball, Binny has a crucial role to play with the bat lower down the order. The brief given to him by the team management is straight forward. āI have been asked to be positive. It is about getting my eye in and then play my natural game, which is being positive. For instance if we are in a situation where we are chasing and I have Dhoni bhai for company, then thatās the time I have to be more sensible and take the game as far as possible till the end.
āI have to assess the situation as soon as possible. Shot selection will be crucial. In India the pitches are flatter and you can play shots on the rise, take on the bowlers a lot more. Here you have to respect the bowlers because they have more purchase off the pitch and they are going to give you a lot less hitting balls. You need to know how and when to leave the ball, know what your strengths are and back your abilities.ā
To be able to counter and adapt to situations, practice holds key, asserts Binny. āIt is all about practice. It is about how you practice in the nets. We donāt only play the old balls at the nets. We get shuffled every practice session so that the batsmen batting at nos. 5, 6 & 7 are playing newer and harder balls and at the same time the openers are also playing oldish balls which are reversing. There would be days when I am batting at the nets and the bowlers are bowling yorkers at me and at times I am playing my shots upfront. In that way each batsman is ready counter any situation.ā
The long stay in Australia, Binny says, has helped him introspect his batting. āIt is important in Australia to play well off the backfoot. In India you donāt play too many deliveries on the backfoot because of the bounce. The bounce here is a bit steep. For me, scoring in front of the wicket is not a problem because I have the power and I can hit through the pull. That is not something that I would come to Australia and work on.
For me it would be working on the backfoot play since they know I can hit the ball down the ground. I know not too many bowlers are going to be bowling in that region where I will have to punch a lot off my hip. When I came to Australia, I figured that that was going to be the mantra of bowling to me. There will be a lot of bouncers and slower bouncers, something I am practicing at the nets to counter. I have used the team management to bowl those lengths to me so that I can be successful off the backfoot punch and use the pace to score runs.ā
