The art of fine batting

[CSK Fan]

The art of fine batting

There is something about seeing a batsman in full flow. Yes, you can talk about the great fast bowlers who could knock all three stumps over and still have time for a cup of tea before the batsman could bring his bat down, or the tall guy who puts the fear of God in you by constantly being at your throat all day. And sure, that is exciting too, but don't tell me that good, free-flowing batmanship doesn't make you go weak on your knees like a teenage girl in front of Beiber. Young Indian batsmen exceeded expectations by not only taking the bull by its horn but, literally wiping the floor with it. They had big shoes to fill. Replacing one of the all time greatest ODI batsmen in the world? Check. Being a fill in for the destructive Sehwag? Piece of cake. Can anyone replace the ever dependable Gambhir? Yawn, been there, done that! Dhawan and Sharma approached batting with a nonchalance seldom seen in players so young. Batting has been India's forte' for long. Although jokes about India's non-existent bowling has been doing the round for years, no opponent has ever made the mistake of taking the Indian batting lightly. But lately, cracks had appeared in the once revered lineup. The batting super-stars, all of whom would feature in all time great line-ups, had begun to age; not like fine wine, but like grape-fruit which starts leaving a slightly sour taste in your mouth the longer you keep it. The stalwarts who had proved themselves on all pitches were left with humiliating performances providing an opportunity to people who questioned their comfort away from home and raised marks on their illustrious career. The challenge seemed in-surmountable. Surely, there were no feet big enough to fill those legendary shoes. The selectors and the captain had their work cut out. Do they stick with tried and tested seniors till some replacement dropped from the sky? Or do they risk it with younger, hungrier batsmen? Thankfully, they chose the later See, this is the thing about Indian cricket. They might falter in the art of choosing a good bowler, fail in supporting him and letting him do his thing. They might coach out all his natural talent, leaving him like a medium paced automation, cutting out his pace for line and length. But boy, do they know how to back young batsmen! If you are a young, upcoming batsman, India is the place to be. Indians 'get' batting, just like they don't 'get' bowling. Batsmen are backed to the hilt. There is no attempt to temper a young, moody batsman. There is no talk of curbing attacking instincts, cutting out risky shorts or changing technique and temperament. A young batsmen in India would be like a diamond in a jewelry shop. People know the exact value and know how to leave one to do what comes naturally to it. You don't try to change an emerald to a ruby or make a sapphire out of a turquoise. No sir, you just let Rohit Sharma craft his innings of elegance while at the same time admire the audacity of Dhawan at the other end. And what can be more exciting than watching batsmen in their full flow? Batting, like bowling, is an expression of skills. It's as instinctive and destructive as fast bowling. In the split second you have between a bowler balling and the ball finding the middle of the bat, you don't have much time for coaching or instructions. You just see the ball and hit the ball. From the quick single to the lofted shots, batting is all about skills and natural instincts. Maybe the next time the Pakistani coach or captain tries to curb the natural instincts of a batsmen, they will do well to keep this in mind. There is lots of middle ground between a slog for six and a dead defensive shot. There are nudges, stolen singles, glances, glorious cover drives and hoicks towards mid-wicket. Limiting your cricket to either defense or slogging is like limiting a fast bowlers to only yorkers or short-pitched stuff. Granted that they might be the most wicket taking deliveries, but in between, you have lots of setting up of batsmen and playing on their nerves to do which causes those deliveries to be destructive. And don't forget those traditional out and in swingers which batsmen find unplayable Just like the fast bowler is at his best when he can bowl the fastest he can, regardless of the situation, a batsman is at his best when he can just go out there and hit the ball as it comes. Yes responsibility and maturity are important, but they are not something you force on someone, they come with performance and confidence. You do not tinker with the batting style of young batsmen, It's the last thing you want. India, a team which has a lot of batting to boast of, knows this instinctively. And they are reaping rich dividends. Of course, there is still a long way to go. Test cricket is a different kettle of fish. But look at the shoes they are trying to fill. Can you imagine replacing Sachin, Dravid and Laxman? But these are youngsters willing to take on that impossible task and are off to a good start. Long live good batting. With all the talk of ODIs dying and slogging in T20s being the only way to bat, it is refreshing to see young aggressive batsmen proving themselves in international ODIs and entertaining fans while winning matches for their country.

[FischerTal]

The art of fine batting

There is something about seeing a batsman in full flow. Yes, you can talk about the great fast bowlers who could knock all three stumps over and still have time for a cup of tea before the batsman could bring his bat down, or the tall guy who puts the fear of God in you by constantly being at your throat all day. And sure, that is exciting too, but don't tell me that good, free-flowing batmanship doesn't make you go weak on your knees like a teenage girl in front of Beiber. Young Indian batsmen exceeded expectations by not only taking the bull by its horn but, literally wiping the floor with it. They had big shoes to fill. Replacing one of the all time greatest ODI batsmen in the world? Check. Being a fill in for the destructive Sehwag? Piece of cake. Can anyone replace the ever dependable Gambhir? Yawn, been there, done that! Dhawan and Sharma approached batting with a nonchalance seldom seen in players so young. Batting has been India's forte' for long. Although jokes about India's non-existent bowling has been doing the round for years, no opponent has ever made the mistake of taking the Indian batting lightly. But lately, cracks had appeared in the once revered lineup. The batting super-stars, all of whom would feature in all time great line-ups, had begun to age; not like fine wine, but like grape-fruit which starts leaving a slightly sour taste in your mouth the longer you keep it. The stalwarts who had proved themselves on all pitches were left with humiliating performances providing an opportunity to people who questioned their comfort away from home and raised marks on their illustrious career. The challenge seemed in-surmountable. Surely, there were no feet big enough to fill those legendary shoes. The selectors and the captain had their work cut out. Do they stick with tried and tested seniors till some replacement dropped from the sky? Or do they risk it with younger, hungrier batsmen? Thankfully, they chose the later See, this is the thing about Indian cricket. They might falter in the art of choosing a good bowler, fail in supporting him and letting him do his thing. They might coach out all his natural talent, leaving him like a medium paced automation, cutting out his pace for line and length. But boy, do they know how to back young batsmen! If you are a young, upcoming batsman, India is the place to be. Indians 'get' batting, just like they don't 'get' bowling. Batsmen are backed to the hilt. There is no attempt to temper a young, moody batsman. There is no talk of curbing attacking instincts, cutting out risky shorts or changing technique and temperament. A young batsmen in India would be like a diamond in a jewelry shop. People know the exact value and know how to leave one to do what comes naturally to it. You don't try to change an emerald to a ruby or make a sapphire out of a turquoise. No sir, you just let Rohit Sharma craft his innings of elegance while at the same time admire the audacity of Dhawan at the other end. And what can be more exciting than watching batsmen in their full flow? Batting, like bowling, is an expression of skills. It's as instinctive and destructive as fast bowling. In the split second you have between a bowler balling and the ball finding the middle of the bat, you don't have much time for coaching or instructions. You just see the ball and hit the ball. From the quick single to the lofted shots, batting is all about skills and natural instincts. Maybe the next time the Pakistani coach or captain tries to curb the natural instincts of a batsmen, they will do well to keep this in mind. There is lots of middle ground between a slog for six and a dead defensive shot. There are nudges, stolen singles, glances, glorious cover drives and hoicks towards mid-wicket. Limiting your cricket to either defense or slogging is like limiting a fast bowlers to only yorkers or short-pitched stuff. Granted that they might be the most wicket taking deliveries, but in between, you have lots of setting up of batsmen and playing on their nerves to do which causes those deliveries to be destructive. And don't forget those traditional out and in swingers which batsmen find unplayable Just like the fast bowler is at his best when he can bowl the fastest he can, regardless of the situation, a batsman is at his best when he can just go out there and hit the ball as it comes. Yes responsibility and maturity are important, but they are not something you force on someone, they come with performance and confidence. You do not tinker with the batting style of young batsmen, It's the last thing you want. India, a team which has a lot of batting to boast of, knows this instinctively. And they are reaping rich dividends. Of course, there is still a long way to go. Test cricket is a different kettle of fish. But look at the shoes they are trying to fill. Can you imagine replacing Sachin, Dravid and Laxman? But these are youngsters willing to take on that impossible task and are off to a good start. Long live good batting. With all the talk of ODIs dying and slogging in T20s being the only way to bat, it is refreshing to see young aggressive batsmen proving themselves in international ODIs and entertaining fans while winning matches for their country.

nice article :icflove: its just the batting culture in our country. i remember harsha bhogle saying once why india produce great spinners? the logic can be applied to batsmen as well because harsha says indians believe in brains over brawn. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEoLw7pSxKo]Empire Of Cricket - India Documentary Part 2 of 6 - YouTube[/ame] its in the last 20 seconds of the video

[CSK Fan]

Thanks

[Crookbond]

Nice article MTC. The start, end and middle were not good rest all were just perfect. I love reading your articles. :icflove:

[panther]

The art of FTBs :giggle:

[Crookbond]

Btw, MTC - What do you think about our bench strength? Murali Vijay etc.

[Old guy]

awesome article mtc i already said everything i want to :P i want part 2 of this article after we win the trophy :D

[bulbul]

:hatsoff: But too soon to judge.

[rkt.india]

Btw' date=' MTC - What do you think about our bench strength? Murali Vijay etc.[/quote'] Vijay is a wasted ODI selection. Could have selected some one else.

[FischerTal]

cant wait for Ind A tour to SA? hopefully some new batsmen prove themselves.

[Rocky Balboa]

Nice article dude. But I still believe fast bowling is d most exciting aspect of cricket.

[Sachin=GOD]

Very nice article MTC.

[Sidhoni]

Great writeup as usual!

[Gunner]

Well written article :two_thumbs_up: I agree with every word you wrote except that Fast Bowling (and by extension Swing Bowling) is the most exciting facet of the game.

[velu]

:two_thumbs_up: PS:- 2 page article by MTC abt batting , and sachin name is mentioned only once :--D

[Detonator]

Nice article :hatsoff: Guess it shld go to Cricket articles section

[Sachin=GOD]

BTW you said you first posted this article in the Green Forum - did you have the title as "the art of fine betting" there :D

[StriKe]

Nice article MTC :nice:

[ganeshran]

Nice article :hatsoff: Guess it shld go to Cricket articles section

+1 Done.

[hhunaeh]

Don't pakistan need someone like youhana more than they need a afridi?