Building on time and sweat - Part I

What a batsman needs to do to score big runs – Part I

Arguably the world’s best batsman during our lifetimes, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar also needs time to let his bat do the talking. Well, that’s exactly what he says when he is asked about how he builds his innings.

It is not every day that we would find batsmen like Sehwag, Dilshan and Gayle. In that case, it’s very important for batsmen to show patience and tenacity to score lots of runs. We have many examples of such batsmen in world cricket. For starters, Rahul Dravid is a huge example for a cricketer who sweats more for every single run he has scored in test and one-day arena. It doesn’t mean Rahul makes batting look difficult. It’s just that he believes in virtues of patience and concentration and puts a huge price on his wicket. That’s why world-cricket calls him, “The Wall”. Dravid’s defence is almost impenetrable.

So what does an average batsman need to do to taste success regularly? We’ve got the solution. It is very easy to put it in writing. But, to implement these strategies and tactics on the field under pressure circumstances is very tough. It’s a different domain altogether that deals with mind more than the skill. So for now, let’s just concentrate on the batting part and later let’s dive into the mental part of the same.

GET THE SCOREBOARD TICKING

Every batsman starts on a zero every single time. These initial moments are the most nervous seconds for any batsman. Some players like Sehwag and Gayle would love to make rapid strides with scoring off the first few balls. Dilshan, off-late is also dominating right from the first ball. But, it cannot happen with every batsman and the amount of risk involved in such batting strategies is very high. It may pay off on a few occasions, but there is always a huge chance of losing one’s wicket every time.

As we draw comparisons with Neil Armstrong’s quotes about the first step and mankind, scoring that first run is very important for batsmen all over the world. Ask any batsman on what could be the dreadful moment for them? Most of them would say, “Getting out on zero.” Scoring the first run is the first step towards building huge innings.

It’s important to get that run first, whichever way it comes. Be it an inside edge to the fine-leg or an outside edge over the slips for a boundary. All we need is to get going, and when we score our first run, we are definitely up and running.

Conditions would generally be hostile during the first fifteen-twenty minutes. By conditions, I do mean the pitch, the crowd, the fielders and more importantly, the bowlers.

It’s very important to start running and getting the feet moving early in the innings. So, when a batsman tries to build his innings, it’s very important for him to just place the ball and keep running. There are many advantages with such a tactic. The best place, as a batsman, in the middle is the non-striker’s end. So, when we do start off with singles and doubles, we most often land up at non-striker’s end. By staying in the non-striker’s end a batsman can absorb the pressure, get a few nerves out of the box, get a more eased look at the field settings, analyze the spots on the pitch that could bother and finally have a closer look at the bowler bowling against him.

Scoring the first few runs without taking too much risk helps batsmen build the foundation for their innings to flourish. The first twenty minutes is of huge importance. A batsman would need this time to judge the pace of the wicket, provide that respect to the bowlers who are on top and personally look at how his timing goes on with every ball.

A typical example of a batsman struggling in the early part of an innings is one of modern-day greats, Ricky Ponting. For whatever Ponting has achieved over years as a batsman, he isn’t particularly comfortable early in his innings. India, particularly, found this chink in his armory and used it to perfection every time. Ever since 2001 (apart from the series down-under in 2003-04, where Harbhajan did not play) when Harbhajan Singh gave him nightmares, Ponting has been worked out by the Indian think tank. Lately, Ishant Sharma enjoyed success against one of Australia’s all time best batsmen. Indians made sure they never gave away loose deliveries for Ponting to score boundaries early in his innings. In addition to that, the fieldsmen put pressure on Ponting by not giving him singles too. With no way out of this jail, Ponting found it very hard to cross the half-hour mark when he played India. An exception to such a situation was when he scored his first hundred in India last year. It was in this innings, Ponting showed amazing levels of patience and hard-work (he ran well early in his innings). In fact, Punter also scored a few useful boundaries early in his innings and that got him going against Turbanator also.

This is the initial and by far the most important stage for any batsman who looks to score big. When those lifeless buildings built on brick and mortar need good foundation, it only makes sense when a batsman, brimming with life, attempts to make sure the foundation for his innings is strong and sturdy.

Once he gets over the first 20-30 balls, the innings is all his to be built on.

PIERCE THE FIELD, GET YOUR BOUNDARIES

More often than not, batsmen get their eye in after the first half-hour. VVS Laxman says that it’s very important for him to get over the score of 20. Once he scores twenty, it would be very difficult for bowlers to dislodge him for he’d tighten his technique according to the situation.

The pitch, the fielders and the bowlers will tire over time. And this is the best time for batsmen to reap maximum benefits. It’s not possible for bowlers be on top forever. In test matches, bowlers get a maximum of 10-12 over spell. ODIs will have them bowling for even lesser number of overs at a stretch. In such cases, patience will help.

Once a batsman crosses twenty runs, the opposition captain would automatically expand his field settings by keeping fielders patrolling the boundaries. This is when a batsman would get easy runs. This is the result of the efforts put during the first few minutes of his innings.

The timing and the placement would automatically fall in place during this time of the innings. The initial struggle with the pitch and with his own timing would have vanished by now.

The next one hour or so is the most productive hour for a batsman. As said above, the opposition goes on the defensive and hence gives the batsman time to score freely. The ball would definitely go soft during this part of the innings and this could also help the batsmen score a few boundaries quickly.

The big problem that a batsman would more often face in this particular time period is his concentration and temperament. It’s very easy for batsmen to also become complacent and on occasions even loosen their grip of the situation.

In short, the next 50 odd balls, could produce a batsman runs at a strike of 100 and above when he has the power, the timing and the foot-work all in his control.

End of Part One. Part Two will talk about the way to switch gears, the importance of partners’ while building innings & career and also about the control of external influence.