CHENNAI: If you ask most coaches in the Indian Premier League who are part of various teams what are the areas that they focus on, one of the most common answers is ‘power hitting’. In the T20 format, things happen at a rapid pace and the last thing any team management wants is for a batter to accumulate dot balls.
However, there is no one way to achieve this goal. Batters need not necessarily have to be reliant on their power-hitting alone to make an impact. Someone like Ruturaj Gaikwad, for example, has adapted to the T20 format by expanding his range and power while sticking to his basics.
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener’s 52-ball 90 and 31-ball 57 in the first couple of games this season is a testament to that. “He (Ruturaj) has added power to his game,” says CSK batting coach Mike Hussey.
“Nice to watch him play and develop his game. He has good self-awareness and knows what he needs to improve. He has a beautiful all-round game. He plays good shots and slowly adds ‘power’ shots to his game, making it difficult for bowlers to bowl as he plays good shots with 4’s and 6s as well.” He (Ruturaj) is definitely good enough to play in the Indian team. It’s a very difficult time to get into (India team) with so many great players. And international cricket is tough, not easy. I have no doubt he can be successful at that (international) level, it will take a bit of time, but it’s part of the journey. Sometimes its a long journey, some get an opportunity but others like me take time. The great thing about Ruturaj is he has a great understanding of his game,’’ added the former Australian who had to wait for his time to break into the mighty Australian side during his playing days.
A former CSK opener himself, Hussey believes that power-hitting is something that can be developed by any batter. “One can master the art of power-hitting by practising more and more and getting better at it with different shots. The more you practice, you are bound to get better,” said Hussey.
‘’I think it’s a natural evolution of the game really and the players are becoming more confident. As I said earlier the players are practising more aggressive strikes day in and day out and getting better and better at those. They are getting more confident and naturally, their game keeps evolving. In the past, in T20 a 160 score was a win, but today the scores go higher and higher. I think it’s the natural evolution of the game,’’ he added.
A case in point is the Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson. An aggressive batter, who has transformed into a bonafide T20 batter with a focus on power-hitting.
“Sanju’s game was always like that (aggressive). He had a lot of power in his strokes. Yeah, he even practised specifically in power-hitting to add a new dimension to his shots and have a go at the bowlers from ball one. All players cannot be converted into power hitters. The players must have the skill sets to play aggressively. Having said that, even conventional players can put runs on the board Gaikwad and Shubman Gill. I believe that both can exist,’’ said Tinu Yohannan, former India player and mentor of Sanju Samson.