I need to improve upon my backlift: Das
20 June 2001
Shiv Sunder Das has been left out of the Indian one-day squad that
will play in the triangular series with Zimbabwe and West Indies but
the diminutive opener is hardly complaining.
With the best average and highest run aggregate in the Test series
against Zimbabwe, the technically sound Das has certainly proved his
mettle on fast and bouncy tracks too.
And as he leaves for India today, Das has already identified the areas
he needs to work upon ahead of the tours of Sri Lanka and South
Africa.
"I need to improve upon my backlift. I will be practicing on cement
wickets with plastic balls," said the affable Das in an interview to
PTI.
Das realises the importance of hard work and extensive practice and
before coming to Zimbabwe, he had practiced playing outgoing
deliveries and learnt from the experiences of his seniors.
"I practiced a lot about the deliveries leaving outside the off-stump.
I also practiced how not to play on the rise and I spoke a lot to
seniors like Sourav (Ganguly) and Rahul (Dravid) in the Chennai camp
(ahead of the tour)," he says.
The preparations paid rich dividends as Das notched up 239 runs from
four innings at an average of 79.67 with a highest score of 82 not
out. The effort got him the man of the series award in just his third
Test series.
Success did not come easily to him, though. Das admitted he had
difficulty in putting all his preparations into practice straightaway
and he struggled in the first few innings in the tour matches.
"I really struggled in the first game of the tour at Mutare. I didn't
play well. I realised I was not really moving my feet in line with the
ball. I corrected it and the hundred against CFX Academy (in the next
game) really gave me confidence," he said.
Such constant reviews of his performance have helped Das in improving
his already solid technique which many experts believe is similar to
the legendary Sunil Gavaskar. Das most certainly is the first genuine
Test opener for India after Gavaskar left the scene in 1987.
And he echoes the master batsman when he says, "As an opener, you must
watch for balls outside the off-stump all the time. You must know
where your off-stump is."
He certainly knew where his off-stump was on this tour with home
captain Heath Streak saying that only if the other Indian batsmen had
emulated Das, India would have put up a much better fight in the
second Test that the visitors lost by four wickets to see their dreams
of a series win being dashed.
"Das was among the few Indian batsmen who showed the patience required
on wickets with a little bit of extra bounce. He knew exactly where
his off-stump was and he didn't play unnecessary shots. And the reward
was there for him," Streak said.
Das says he has acquired the correct technique while playing on uneven
surfaces in Orissa. "Playing on matting wicket at home has really
helped. For one, it has helped me play bouncing deliveries well. It
has also improved my backfoot play which is essential for an opener,"
Das said.
Das still had some problems against the rising deliveries during the
home series against Australia when he took a lot of body blows from
the pace battery of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Damien Fleming.
"I was having a few problems against the Australians. When the ball
was bouncing, I was not watching the ball, but later I think I played
them well. Getting runs against the likes of McGrath, Gillespie and
(Shane) Warne was really encouraging," he said.
The patience which he has displayed in his batting is evident in his
overall approach to the game and future plans too as he dismisses
suggestions that he was prone to getting out just when he seemed to be
set.
"I may have missed out on hundreds, but they were not bad efforts. The
big hundreds will come. After all I have played just seven Test
matches," said Das, whose only Test hundred came in the second match
in the home series against Zimbabwe last year.
Keen to contribute something more than the runs he scores, Das has
taken some brilliant catches at forward short leg, a position he
specialises in while fielding. "I just love fielding. I used to do a
lot of catching when I was a kid. I was inspired to stand in this
position because of a few outstanding catches I have seen being taken
in that position, I get hit sometimes but it doesn't deter me," he
said.
His captain Sourav Ganguly was all praise for him but said Das should
now be ready to handle the growing expectations of his fans. "The
pressure will now begin for him. People will start expecting runs from
him, every time he goes in. It will altogether be a different
pressure," Ganguly said.
But physical and mental toughness is something Das has acquired right
from his childhood. "It's because things don't happen easily in
Orissa. You don't get things easy out there. It makes you very tough,
physically and mentally," he said.
© PTI
Teams
|
India,
West Indies,
Zimbabwe.
|
Players/Umpires
|
Shiv Sunder Das,
Sourav Ganguly,
Rahul Dravid,
Sunny Gavaskar,
Heath Streak,
Glenn McGrath,
Jason Gillespie,
Damien Fleming,
Shane Warne.
|
Tours
|
India in Zimbabwe
|