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Shashank Kishore in Indore14-Jan-20172:12

‘Couterattacked after early wickets’ – Parthiv

The Ranji Trophy title is pinnacle of what you have achieved. What has gone into the making of this team?
Basically, it’s because of a good plan back in Gujarat. Before the start of the season, we play a lot of practice matches. When we sit to pick the team, our meeting doesn’t last more than four-five minutes because the players pick themselves on their performances. We play so many matches before the start of the season that we are ready to hit the ground running. The system for junior cricket is very good and those who perform in district cricket get an opportunity to play in the KSCA or Buchi Babu tournament. So by the time the Ranji comes around, no one has any doubt over whether he is in form or not. Whoever performs walks into the team.Do you see an attitude shift within the group as a result of success across formats over the last two-three years?
There has been a big difference, no doubt. Our main aim was to survive in the Elite League when I made my Ranji debut in 2004. It was an honest assessment of where we were. Our best player was Niraj Patel, who averaged around 37, so you can understand how the mood was. Then when I took over, we were relegated in the first season. Players were playing for places. The goal was to survive in the Ranji Trophy, and if they were lucky, maybe the Duleep Trophy, not beyond. Luckily by then, I had some experience of playing for India. I knew what it was to be left out. I was helped by a great bunch of young Under-19 players, who came in and ensured players dream big. In the last three-four years alone, guys like Axar [Patel] and Jasprit [Bumrah] have changed that mindset. Manprit [Juneja] has played for India A. IPL has transformed the mindsets a great deal. If you look at the India Under-19 team over the last four-five years, we have always had at least two players in the team. Even now, when we won the Under-19 Asia Cup, we had one lad in the team. It helps to have so much of talent in your state.Yes, there were a few frustrating years for us when we didn’t qualify, we missed out on quotient or run-rate, but we knew that we have a team that can win the Ranji Trophy and we have always been talking about it amongst us. And we can only talk about it if we believe that we can win it. And we always knew that we can win it, and we have got the results to show for it.How has the mood within the camp changed since the time you have taken over as captain?
It was much different to what it is now. There were differences of opinion, young players didn’t open up easily for whatever reason. Captains, coaches and selectors weren’t on the same page. For example, the batting first scenario in a four-day game was big for us. Every time we looked at the surface, someone would think we should bowl. I thought we should bat. Selectors thought something else, so as captain you didn’t always have the freedom to execute what you thought was best for the side. I couldn’t relate to these conflicting thoughts. It took us a while to change that mindset. It’s something I’m more comfortable with.Can you think of an example of this clarity in decision making?
Take for example the semi-final. It was a green track. Two days before the game, everyone suggested we bowl first. I thought differently. I wanted to bat. My thumb rule is unless the wicket is really very green or wet, always bat and put the runs on the board. I may sometimes do the opposite by gut instinct, but largely these are my thoughts. So I decided to bat. I had the freedom to decide what I felt was best for the team, and all of us responded collectively after that to win despite conceding the lead.Parthiv Patel scored 233 runs in the final against Mumbai•ESPNcricinfo LtdHow do you view this team’s graph? Has it been on the lines of what you expected it to be when you decided to stick to a young group?
Five years ago, we were a mediocre side. Teams used to take us lightly. As a captain I thought I had to build a team. It wasn’t that I will get players who will blast 1000-2000 runs. So we had to be patient. As I said, we were almost there but we couldn’t go through. So performance wise we were clicking. It wasn’t that we were just surviving. And with young side you have to be patient enough. More than that, I personally felt that these guys had talent. They had in them to go through to the next level. I wanted to give them more security as a player so that they can vow there and play their game rather than playing my way or coaches’ way or someone else’s way. So that was something which I have spoken to the coaches, selectors and they knew we were building a side. We had dropped a few experienced players. It wasn’t just a captain’s effort. It was an overall effort from coaches and selectors. There was a time where we felt that we should try and think something else. But then obviously you think of dos and don’ts and then you come out with a solution and we stuck to it and the results are here. At times, we thought we needed some experience, and that’s how we brought in RP Singh as a professional. His role has been great with a young bowling group.What all has RP Singh brought to this side?
RP has the knowledge and experience, so when we brought him, it was always as a mentor who could chip in at vital times for us. He was never going to play eight games, even if he was playing for Uttar Pradesh, at this stage of his career. As it is, the bowlers have it tough these days with the travelling and recovery. A bowler who has had a history of injuries, we knew, would have it tough too. So we wanted to use him in a way where he comes into the picture where wickets are helpful, where he can use experience and skills.We have experience in the batting line-up but there isn’t much experience in bowling. Jasprit is away these days on national duty. Rush Kalaria has been around for the last four years or so, but isn’t still up to that skill where he can lead the pace attack. That is why we thought we should bring him in for the semi-final and he delivered. RP has been the bridge between the captain and coach when it comes to the bowling department.Was it just a mental block because of which you took a while to realise this team’s potential?
We won two T20 championships and a 50-over championship in the last three years. So the talent and ability was there, it was just a question of belief. Luck also played a part. Last year we didn’t have a full game in Tamil Nadu, and a year before I thought we played really well and missed out on quotient. This year too, we lost one full game because of weather, but we didn’t want to make any excuses. We didn’t last year either. What wasn’t there was the kind of belief there is now, especially in long-form cricket, and that only comes with performance. When you see guys hitting 900-1000 runs, taking five-fors in a knockout game, it fires you up as a group. Performing under pressure can’t be taught. It’s just a case of experience being the best teacher.

Asad Shafiq might be one of the more understated members of the Pakistan side but on the ground where his Test career began he proved his worth again with his eighth Test hundred

Umar Farooq14-Oct-20151:00

‘We had a plan against Adil Rashid’ – Asad Shafiq

In the 30-minute journey between hotel and stadium, Asad Shafiq hardly spoke. Neither did he talk during the morning warm-session before the start of the second day. He was clearly lost in thought, seeking an inner calm as he resumed an innings still alive because Ian Bell had dropped him on 10 at second slip the previous evening.Shafiq knew that he could be one soft target, as Pakistan needs to create a place for Azhar Ali to return in the side in the next Test in Dubai. There is an extensive sense of competition as Malik, who replaced Ali in the line-up, had already marked his remarkable comeback with a double hundred. The playing XI in the next Test is already a talking point.Shafiq is generally one of the more muted players in the Pakistan dressing room with Sarfraz Ahmed is the only best friend around. Introverted he might be, but he has silently absorbed a lot of skills: he is the most technically accomplished player in the side. He scored his eighth hundred to prove his worth yet again at the venue where his career started in 2010.He emerged in 2009 when he was the top scorer at the domestic circuit at time when Pakistan underwent ugly debacles in the 2009 Australia tour, followed by the 2010 spot fixing saga in England. He was bought in the team for the same reason as Misbah-ul-Haq assumed the captaincy – to find a calm within the storm.His posture was exactly the factor Pakistan had needed. It was a new era – post the captaincy of Mohammad Yousaf, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi and the fall of Salman Butt. He was a productive investment. His career growth and development was not centred upon junior development, as in so many modern day cricketers, but he only emerged only after playing first-class cricket.Most of his hundreds came in pressure situations either to save his slipping place or to prove his ability. He remained underrated and was never applauded, probably because of his introverted approach. He had an immaculate defence, as did Pakistan’s greatest opening batsman Hanif Mohammad, and never played big, rather relying on elegant strokes all around to tick up the runs. But he has scored heavily against every opponent he has played in his 33 Test matches.His 107 off 218 balls was pleasing though as the day was much warmer in Abu Dhabi compared to the last two days in the city. He batted with Malik to share 248 runs for the fifth wicket stand to give Pakistan a reason to declare. Two generations of cricketer combined to become the face of the bland Misbah team.Ben Stokes attempts to run out Shoaib Malik•Getty ImagesShafiq had never batted with Malik in his career at any level but fluency was the defining feature of his innings. He ran for 13 doubles, and 2 threes and 35 singles along with 10 boundaries. His scoring rate against the spinners was 57 while he contained himself to score at 29 against the pacers.”I batted very comfortably with Malik and I never felt a sense of diffidence,” Shafiq said. “He kept on talking with me about how to keep yourself focused. He was guiding me about the pitch condition and helping me building up the innings.”I wanted to concentrate and Shoaib bhai gave me enough confidence. We shared the burden and played exactly the way we planned. We had a special plan against Adil especially – not to let him settle right from the start – and we did that.”Misbah and Younis Khan have both appraised Shafiq as a key investment for the future after the old guard walk away. In coming years his role is likely to be redefined to bat higher than No 6 and it will be interesting to see how he rises to the challenge.Pakistan have never had such an unsettled Test XI for many years, let alone the inconsistent selection in limited-over cricket. Pakistan selection is cruel sometimes: not as kuch sensible as circumstantial. Shafiq might have been pushing his career with hundreds but his life has not been easy. He could be a whipping boy at any time.He career is often presented as part of Pakistan’s transition after the 2015 World Cup, an idea that has not made any sense so far. He admits that that he faces some difficulty to switch himself from ODI to his specialist format but he makes light of it. It too early to judge that the experiment with Shafiq in ODIs will be a success or not but it certainly distract from his regular place in Tests.”Of course this is something difficult to explain – at the same time I am flourishing in Tests, I am not able to apply myself in ODIs but I don’t let myself carried away with thoughts of an ODI flop and try to work out on every opportunity I get. I always try to think like a professional and try to forget failures in the past, live the moment and build a new innings.”

The performances of Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan in dismantling India suggested they could translate their county form to international level

George Dobell at The Oval15-Aug-2014It would be nice to think that this, the first day of the final Test of the Investec series, was the day when another piece of the jigsaw fell into place for England.It would be nice to think that this was the day when one of the few clouds that had lingered on England’s horizon – the effectiveness of their support seamers – was banished.It would be nice to think that this was the day that Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan came of age as Test cricketers.And it may prove that way, too. It may well be that the confidence gained by each claiming their best figures to date on a first-day Test pitch allows them to feel more comfortable in this environment and settle into the consistent form that has rendered them among the best seamers in the county game.Certainly Jordan, who has looked as dangerous as anyone with the new ball in domestic cricket over the last 18 months, is looking more relaxed with each day he spends at this level.Chris Woakes claimed three wickets in an innings for the first time in Tests•PA PhotosHis progress seemed to stall when he was dropped after the two Sri Lanka Tests. Upon his return, he appeared more anxious than before. He sweated profusely within a couple of balls of starting a spell. He bowled as if every game might be his last. As if he felt he was on trial. His stiff, anxious wrist resulted in a number of deliveries sprayed down the leg side and little of the swing that renders him so dangerous at county level. It is sometimes forgotten that bowlers, like batsmen, benefit from continuity of selection.But, as England stick with him, so he looks more assured. As he realises that he is part of the future, so he is able to replicate the form he has shown for Sussex. His action – the way he positions the ball in his right hand with his left, the odd swing of his shoulders as he starts his run – will always look a little deliberate, but there is nothing in there that would be a surprise to those who know him best at Sussex. If England stick with him, he will provide pace, hostility, swing and free-hitting lower-order batting. He will repay the investment.Here Jordan bowled with good pace, his quickest delivery was timed at 91.2mph, and generated decent swing. If he was donated at least one of his victims – Bhuvneshwar Kumar threw his hands at a wide long hop and edged to the keeper – he defeated Virat Kohli with some well-executed bowling: after setting him up with away swing, he deceived him with one that went straight.Woakes, too, enjoyed his finest day as a Test cricketer to date. Benefitting from some extra time in the gym and greater use of his front arm, Woakes has added a little pace to his bowling over each of the last three or four seasons. His pace here, an average of 84.7mph with a peak of 87.7, compared favourably with Anderson (84.3 and 87.6) and Stuart Broad (83.4 and 87.4) and he was bowling with an older ball.Woakes has long been an underrated cricketer. Perhaps partly because of his unassuming nature – Ashley Giles used to refer to him as “the most low-maintenance player you could imagine” – partly because England used him mainly in white-ball cricket, where his skills are less useful, and partly because his first Test was played on a lifeless surface on this ground a year ago, he has been dismissed prematurely.He is an intelligent bowler. He uses the crease to lure batsmen into playing at his outswinger – both R Ashwin and M Vijay will feel they had to play at balls that nipped away from them – and if his length was just a fraction short to take the edge of the bat, his nagging line ensured, for the first time this summer, that there was no let-up for the batsmen once Anderson and Broad were out of the attack.But his primary weapon will always be movement. Here he nipped the ball away sharply and moved it back just enough to create doubt in the minds of batsmen already lacking confidence in such conditions. While it would be stretching a point to say he lost little in comparison to Anderson, he at least lent the sort of support required to sustain pressure upon India and suggest that, when the day comes and Anderson moves on, England do possess similar swing-bowling resources.He would do well to learn from Anderson, though. While Anderson conceals the ball behind his left hand until the moment of delivery, batsmen talk of the ease with which they can “line up” Woakes. From the moment he starts his run-up to the moment he releases the ball, he presents it in his right hand for all to see. He is so orthodox, so committed to the coaching manual that states bowlers should run in straight lines, that he can, in less helpful conditions, be just a touch predictable. But he has much to build on and he will be eager to learn. And, in Anderson, he could hardly ask for a better role model.But it would be disingenuous to assess this performance without some mention of the opposition and the conditions. These were the damp, overcast and sultry conditions of which England seamers dream and like which they will rarely, if ever, find in most of the rest of the world. They exploited them expertly but it would be naive to expect Woakes and Jordan to enjoy as much success in Asia.Perhaps there might be a slight concern at the struggle to finish off the tail, too. Not for the first time this summer, England struggled to end a tenth-wicket stand. A lack of extreme pace, a lack of mystery spin, a lack of fear factor in their attack remains a weakness.Most pertinently, a nagging doubt remains that this India team has, since Southampton, presented feeble competition. Lacking confidence and ill-prepared for such challenges they were, for the fourth successive time, dismissed for under 200. Such batting might flatter any attack.They will go on lacking confidence and looking ill-prepared, too, while the BCCI’s reluctance to let them play in domestic competitions continues. What the likes of Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara and Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane are crying out for is a season or two of county cricket. A season or two where they can learn how to cope with such conditions and the moving ball. Such an apprenticeship served Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar well. India will always place themselves at a disadvantage while the current thinking pervades.So, in terms of looking ahead at series against Australia and South Africa, both of which loom for England in 2015, this was like preparing to wrestle a tiger by petting a kitten. But it was another step forward, another day when the new-look England team took shape. These remain early days in the rebuilding operation, but so long as it continues to progress, it is unreasonable to expect more.