L Balaji will be donning the hat of the bowling coach for Tamil Nadu besides being the senior player in the team in the 2015-16 season of the Ranji Trophy. The 33-year-old pacer is looking forward to the challenges that the opportunity will bring.
In a free flowing interview with BCCI.TV ahead of the premier multi-day domestic tournament, Balaji talked about building the mental endurance to play in the longest format of the game and the significance of adapting to various conditions and doing so quickly. Keen to share his experience to shape the younger generation of cricketers the bowling coach is geared up to shoulder the responsibility.
Excerpts:
How do you see the role of coaching and mentoring the team?
More than coaching it is actually about passing on the experience to the next generation about what you have learnt and guiding them. Coaching, I feel, is a big word. I would use a different word like mentoring, because couple of (former) cricketers in world cricket have already achieved that; being successful with their career as well as being a role model by helping the next generation in all the aspects of the game and on how to go about it on the big stage.
As a senior member of the team guiding them in the recent years what about coaching excites and interests you?
I think it is an opportunity for me to explore. It is a different opportunity, a different challenge. You donāt just sit and enjoy your own performance, but you take the opportunity, challenges and the entire responsibility of a bowling unit, especially the fast bowling unit in which you have been excelling in all these years. It is a responsibility. You cannot say no to a responsibility when it comes otherwise you donāt enjoy and explore things. I am a person who likes to explore new dimensions and directions in my career, so if there is an opportunity, why not? I would definitely take it as a challenge and letās see how it goes. It is easy to say, no and easy to walk away from challenges but although it is hard if you put your mind and soul to it you can take responsibility. If mind and body feel you can achieve then you can do it and the entire unit to progress together.
What is your advice to bowlers when it comes to managing the workload and fitness?
I am a person who believes in mental aspects as well as physical endurance of the sport. Itās like a boxing ring and the more you stay in the ring and the more you compete the more you want to stay in the ring alive, the chances of survival are higher. For a fast bowler in India the conditions and favourable things are minimal, the wickets are going to be flat or spinner friendly. Nowadays it is okay, but most of the wickets are not going to assist the fast bowlers the way they do in Australia, England and other countries. So you have got to be able to withstand all the pressure situations as well as the mental and physical battle.
Both the mental aspects as well as the ability to adapt to different wickets, ability to adjust your bowling to any conditions is a must in India because you wonāt be getting seamer friendly wickets every second or third game. You have to use your mind as well as skill, intelligence, and also be a good student of the game. And once you do that it will be better for the team as well as your career. So that is the emphasis for the cricketers who are going to take the mantle.
What would be the areas that youngsters would be focusing on? Whether it would be building a range of skills required and accuracy etc?
At this level, the first-class level you need not be talking about accuracy because it is given. They are bound to do that and have all the discipline. It is about adjusting the mind and how deal and recover from the slowness during the batsmen building the partnership. The bowler has to understand what needs to be there so all those adjustments have to be taught as those are lacking in modern day cricket. The boys are stronger (in skills and physically) with the infrastructure (available) as well as the kind of coaching and everything. What is lacking is the mind to adapt. The mind and body need to adapt to the different circumstances and different wickets as soon as possible and work as a pack and help each other and partner. You canāt just have a strike bowler. Because in India most of the periods are going to be helpful for the batsmen so you need to slow yourself down, and when there is a chance you need to come and do equal battle. When there is a chance of the ball doing a bit or the batsman showing some weakness, wait for that moment and strike. For that you really need to build your mental endurance.
So while focusing on mental endurance how do you impart that understanding to a youngster?
Definitely you have to talk to them and understand what they are thinking about the game and what they are trying to do, because you cannot take away the natural instinct of a player. With your natural instinct, you emphasise with your experience what kind of situations you have overcome by bowling different speed, variations and field sets and different perspectives. It is something that you have to slowly put in the mind of the youngster because natural instinct is going to be there in any individual. With that natural instinct you need to slow down, some bowlers need to slow down in the approach because they try to go for a shortcut and they expect everything to come fast which wonāt be happening in Ranji Trophy. Ranji Trophy is endurance game and sometimes you need to bowl around 90 to 100 balls to take one wicket. For that you need to have discipline in all the departments as well as adapting to the conditions and knowing what is exactly demanded and adjust your bowling and plans accordingly. It is more about mental endurance, of course you can practice thousand balls but what you do on the field when it matters is going to be the test.
Having played with these boys and watched them closely does that work to your advantage?
Definitely! I have played with these guys for the last three - four years. They are maturing and obviously just need right guidance. You donāt have to put them under a coaching manual and tell them to run fast or you have to bowl quick or you have bowl this line and such things. All these bowlers have that. Until and unless you have that you won get a call to play for a first-class team. So it is about how fast you mature as a bowler.
For instance, what we have seen in R Ashwin has matured as a bowler, he is maturing over a period of time. Every bowler matures because of the understanding of his own body and mind and takes his own game to a different level where he can create a wider perspective and bring in newer variations as well as wicket-taking options.
The spinners - Rahil Shah and Malolan Rangarajan have been doing well for the team recently, what is your take on the pair?
I think they have been doing a consistent job for the last couple of seasons. They are maturing and are senior bowlers now. The thing to do is make sure that the bowling combination works together (in tandem). They have both performed as partners and support each other very well. One is a left-arm spinner and the other is an off-spinner and they create chances. So if in that way the entire bowling unit understands each otherās role in the team it becomes easier for the team which will create a good bowling unit - fast bowling as well as spin.
These guys have come up in a very good way so far. In the last two seasons they were among the top ten bowlers in the country. Recreating (the same impact) will be a challenge because the modern day technology and everything will understand bowlers very fast. For that you need to be aware of your own bowling and how you evolve. Every season you come, every season you bring in a dimension to your own bowling department as well as your own bowling.
Who stands out for you and why when it comes to your pace resources?
I think there are two-three youngsters. Last year we saw that Aswin Crist has pace and can generate good lift off the seam. All he needs to do is develop that maturity required for leading the attack. He needs to be consistent with his lines. He has got plenty of potential. He has been working in the MRF pace foundation under Glenn McGrath and must have learnt many things. And there are few others like L Vignesh and K Vignesh who are among the wickets in the division level as well as Under 19 level. All in all, we have a very young pace bowling department. It needs to settle down first. You canāt expect wonders because you have to be realistic. And if they work together well and adapt to the conditions then definitely they will take this team forward for the next few years.
What are the challenges in the forthcoming season?
We were runners-up last year, so that was not a complacent year as we fought hard and came back really well (after a slow start). Though we couldnāt finish it off in the final, we played a very good brand of cricket that is aggressive and attacking. We believe in that. We believe in giving a hundred percent on the field - go for wickets or go for the runs. That is the only way you are going to put your team in a best situation. You may fail a couple of times but you will definitely have given the team a chance for getting to the finishing line and for that you need to have physical and mental discipline and endurance. You have to have the composure to build the innings and build partnerships both in bowling and batting and that has to be supported by fielding. So, all these three departments have to raise their standards when it matters. Ultimately it is match performance that is going to enhance the team morale.
Personally how do you look forward to the season?
I have two roles to play so letās see. I have a new challenge ahead of me. I am the leader of the pack as well as I have my own goals to be fulfilled. I, for one, look forward to challenges and exploring opportunity. So this is a new opportunity in my book. I will explore it and see how I can make difference and bring my experience into play.
