Chapter 14: Coach is always right

[Day 6]

Today marked a new chapter in my cricket journey as I began training with a bat for the first time. I had informed Virat about this as he won't be able to assist me during these training sessions, so I have to temporarily halt my practice sessions with him. I am excited to take this next step and hone my skills with the bat.

As my coach already knows my playing style, I feel that my batting skills have become more polished than my bowling. However, I do not want to undermine the difficulty of being a batsman.

Anticipating the mindset of the opposing team's bowler and strategizing on how to score the most runs off of each delivery is a skill that requires a great deal of practice and knowledge. Being an all-rounder is a challenging task and I am determined to improve both my batting and bowling skills.

As an all-rounder, I have gained valuable insight into the psyche of a bowler through my experiences on the field. This understanding gives me an advantage when it comes to batting as I am able to anticipate the strategies of the opposing team's bowlers and make adjustments to my own game accordingly.

While both batting and bowling are difficult in their own right, I believe that my knowledge of the bowler's mentality does make batting slightly easier for me as an all-rounder.

"Vipin, I've been watching you play and I have to say, you have the potential to be a top-notch opener batsman. However, there are some areas of your game that need improvement if you want to reach your full potential. I see you as the power hitter of our team, but you'll need to work on your flaws before they become a bigger problem." The coach pulled me aside and gave me both praise and constructive criticism, highlighting the areas I need to focus on to take my game to the next level."

I was taken aback when the coach pointed out some flaws in my batting style. I couldn't help but wonder, "What is the problem? I don't think there is anything wrong with my batting style." I am confident in my abilities as a batsman and while I might be seen as arrogant, I am willing to accept that I may be missing something. I am open to any constructive criticism and willing to put in the work to improve my game.

I was taken aback by the coach's words, I couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with my batting style. However, the coach replied in a serious tone, "I am not condemning your batting style. Being a power-hitter myself back in my day, I am more than happy if you follow your style of play. But you need to have a stable footing. You always run down the pitch to hit the ball from its point of contact. I know you are athletically gifted, but what if the bowler bowls a short ball or a slower turner which you miss somehow? However fast you can be, a ball is faster."

He emphasised on the need to have a stable footing and the need to be prepared for different types of deliveries. I understood his point and knew I had to work on my batting style to become a better player.

"You will be stumped as soon as the wicket keeper catches the ball. I don't want to risk losing my top batsman this way. It may not affect you personally, but it can lower the team's morale. Being caught or bowled out only makes the bowler a threat, but getting stumped gives the next batter two things to worry about, which can lead to mistakes."

"I want you to maintain a stable footing and try to play from your position. Practice playing after the ball has bounced. This will be good practice for you, especially when facing off spin and chinaman bowlers. As a left-handed batsman, playing off spin can be difficult, but I believe this will help." I will give it a try for the next few days and if it proves to be effective, I will incorporate it into my play style.

"I will do my best. Thank you for the advice, coach. I am heading to practise now." I thanked the coach and quickly made my way back to the nets.

"Let me know if you have any issues," the coach called out as I left.

"Okay," I responded as I gathered my equipment and descended to the nets.

I hurried down to the sole net where the bowlers and batters were practising for our team. A straightforward thirty-ball spread across five bowlers would be advantageous to both the batsmen and the bowlers.

The batter has the option of requesting a specific delivery for an over or simply accepting the bowler's next offering. I wished to counter off-spin. After waiting for my chance, I finally got it.

"Please give me all off-spins," you said. I made a request of the scheduled bowler.

"Three spinners are all we have here. 18 balls would be the maximum that we could do. Even so, the pacers can provide you with outswingers", Sacin remarked, adding that he was also in attendance for practice.

"Then, I'd like short balls from the pacers", I replied as I slammed my bat against the pitch in preparation for the bowl.

I'll begin by playing in the manner I naturally do, which is to run toward the ball as it is about to make contact and anticipate the point of contact. To see if the coach's assertions were true or not, I had to investigate them.

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The coach's advice turned out to be accurate. Out of the 18 off-spin balls I faced, only 6 were hit squarely in the middle of the bat and cleared the ground. The rest were hitting the edge of my bat and the power behind the bat caused them to fly high in the air, which would have been easy catches for fielders if not for the nets.

The same happened with the short balls. I could anticipate the point the ball would hit but the point was so far that I would never reach there on time leaving me shambling on the crease as I tried to hit the coming ball where most just simple bowlers catch.

I will try what the coach suggested to me. Try to play from my place and only move down whenever I get a good length delivery which I can also play if I just stood on my place.