Tactical, not technical tweaks in R Smaran’s T20 handbook

The Karnataka youngster is looking to incorporate new shots into his game as part of his learnings from the SRH set up.

From red-ball auditioning for India A in Christchurch to T20 thrills for Karnataka in Mumbai for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). All within a span of a fortnight. Karnataka’s new bright batting hope R Smaran has been living life in fast-forward mode.

Ravichandran Smaran (File image) (PTI)

It’s part of the journey for the breakout star in Indian cricket.

At 23, when you are amassing runs, everyone has time for you. On the back of his 1966 first-class runs, averaging 70 in his third year playing in the Ranji Trophy, Smaran was handed an opportunity to tour New Zealand.

A first-ball dismissal in a match where India A scored 628 runs across two innings wasn’t the result he was after, but Smaran would know his tough runs in the Irani Trophy have left an impact.

The left-hander’s immediate challenge is to mould his batting template to T20 demands as the SMAT league phase gets underway, where he leads Karnataka. “I think it's very important to switch as soon as possible,” Smaran said, while practicing at the Wankhede stadium, about switching between formats. “Thankfully we got more than a week’s preparatory camp in Bangalore and a couple of sessions here in Mumbai. So, looking forward to the tournament and hopefully we can make it through to the knockouts.”

Smaran was five-years-old when the Indian Premier League was launched in 2008. He would have grown up watching T20 cricket gain prominence; but coming through the ranks in Karnataka, he retains reverence for Test cricket. “Test cricket has always been the ultimate form of the game and even growing up I have always wanted to represent the country in Test cricket,” he said.

“But obviously, I feel like I can change my game to become an all-format player. That is something that I need to continuously keep working on and ensure that I keep scoring runs.”

A languid left-hander with a long reach who counts Kumar Sangakkara and Mike Hussey among his idols, Smaran’s technical tweaks for T20 are minimal. “I think, not much technically, but switching to the format requires a lot of practice,” he said.

“I feel you need very small technical changes. Obviously you need to get the bat speed up. Just tactically, I change things as to how I can manoeuvre the field and probably add a few other shots to put the bowler off. Again, it comes down to the preparation, and how we actually tackle bowlers in nets makes a huge difference.”

Last year, Smaran got his first taste of the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad as a replacement player for Adam Zampa. He couldn’t deliver the goods with only 19 runs to show in four innings, but there were many learnings from a batting lineup that loves to be characterised as an attacking force.

“Seeing guys like (Heinrich) Klaasen, Abhishek (Sharma), Ishan (Kishan) who are making such a huge mark in T20, just watching them from afar gives you a lot of confidence heading into bat, and you learn so many things. That’s what I am trying to incorporate into my batting by trying to achieve in my practice sessions,” he said.

Captaincy being thrust on his young shoulders in SMAT in a Karnataka lineup that has seniors like Karun Nair and Manish Pandey is not intimidating, says the up-and-coming Smaran. “I don't even think about captaincy being pressure because I have always led Karnataka in my age-group. So just looking at it as a responsibility gives me immense pride,” he said. “And obviously looking at the bigger picture it's your runs that are going to take you to the highest level and my job as a batsman remains the same. Captaincy is something that gets added to it but I really don't think about it while batting.”