Cricketers from Bombay, Delhi, Hyderabad, Madras and Bangalore dominated the Indian cricket scene for a long time. This was the result of a very good infrastructure and cricket culture in these cities. In the recent past, there have been significant changes for the better, what with the emergence of talented cricketers from the less fancied areas.

A case in point is the latest star of Indian cricket, the diminutive opener Shiv Sunder Das. Debasish Mohanty, the first cricketer to play for the country from Orissa, might have in a way inspired the pocket sized opener to really fancy his chances of playing for the country. Das made a name for himself early on with substantial contributions for his state in the Ranji Trophy. There is a lesson to be learnt for all budding cricketers from Das' success story. He mentioned to me once that he hardly gets a good turf pitch to practice on! With hardly any facilities to make use of, Das' steadfast will and determination have brought him to where he is today. As one who had to contend playing on coir matting pitches, he had to adapt himself both mentally and technically to playing on turf pitches. In order to do that, he obviously had to work on his technique and also had to be a willing learner.

A lot of players do not show the necessary inclination to learn the moment they have a couple of good first-class matches and that is the reason why some of them fade away in a jiffy. Das is a good back-foot player, which is a key pre-requisite for succeeding in international cricket against genuine quick bowlers. This may be attributed to the fact that he was brought up on matting tracks. At the same time he plays well off the front foot as well. The most remarkable aspect about his batting is his tight defence, which is brought about by playing with soft hands. Another positive facet of his batting is that he is still until the ball is delivered. He is very much aware of where his off stump is, which once again is essential for any batsmen to negotiate swing and seam.

Being an opener, Das also has to be extremely fit to bat immediately after fielding. He has worked on this aspect during his stints in the NCA and also when he was sent to the Australian Cricket Academy. He might have been surprised at times by deliveries rearing from just short of length but his judgement of bounce and pace will only improve with more outings.

Good things come in small packets is the adage and it is apt in the case of Das. He is a batsman youngsters can try and emulate because he is in the conventional mould. From what little one has seen of Das, there is absolutely no doubt that the young opener will serve the country for a long time to come.

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