Despite being a regular in the Team India camp for a while now Stuart Binny has played only a handful of international matches. With the changing demands of team combination Binny has had to bide his time before every opportunity that has come his way.
Ahead of the tour to Zimbabwe where India will play three ODIs and two T20Is, Binny hopes to get substantial game time. “I have been a part of Team India for a year now and there have been a few opportunities. Hopefully this tour will be better in terms of that,” Binny said prior to departing for Zimbabwe. “Whatever opportunity comes and whenever it comes, I have to be prepared to take it. I would not rather be doing anything else than be part of this setup.
“I have never been to Zimbabwe before so I don’t know what the conditions will be like there. It will probably be similar to what they have in South Africa and if that’s the case, my role will be bigger given the side we are going in with. It could be a great opportunity for me to bowl 10 overs and bat at 6 or 7,” he said.
In whatever matches Binny has played for India, he has been flexible in his roles. MS Dhoni has tried to utilize him in the best possible manner depending on the conditions, even asked him to open the bowling on various occasions.
“I have had chats with MS but that will not make me a permanent member of the Indian team. It will surely help me become a better cricketer though, talking to him about where I lack and can get better or how I can be used more optimally.
“We had talked in the team about me opening the bowling and before doing it I worked on that aspect for a couple of months. It’s a role that I enjoy. I am someone who swings the ball it is advantageous to open the bowling because after 10 overs the ball doesn’t do much,” he said.
While he admits that his journey at the international level has been a topsy-turvy ride and it has been difficult playing matches scattered apart from each other, Binny is realistic about where he stands.
“I knew for a fact that I would play a lot lesser in India and that has happened,” he said. “I have played mainly when we have gone abroad because the game that I have suits those conditions. Having said that, I have to prove that I can also do well in India.
In a bid to enhance his role within the team, Binny said he has focused on getting physically fit. “Fitness is something I have worked on. I know that I have to bowl a lot if I want to play for my country. I have gotten a lot leaner and stronger now.”
Zimbabwe’s tour will be the first time India will play under the newly laid ODI rules where the fielding team is allowed to have five men outside the 30-yard circle. Binny believes this alteration will help his type of bowling.
“To bowl with five fielders inside the circle was a difficult thing to do. Bowlers struggled around the world,” he said. “With one more fielder outside the circle now you have the cushion if you want to attack on one of the wicket. In one-day cricket when the batsmen are going hard at you, the plan generally is to bowl on one side of the wicket.
“But when you have five men inside the circle, you can’t do that because you don’t have either the cover or the sweeper. You have to bowl very tight lines, which is a lot more difficult if you play in the subcontinent. Bowlers like me can really use that extra fielder outside.
“With batting, yes, it will take away a bit of freedom when you bat in the death overs. But you can still hit the gaps with four men in the circle, like you do in T20s. You can still score runs,” he said.
