IPL 5 Team Records

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1. Senthil, Trichy says

   May 22, 2012 at 2:52 pm

   T20 is not about technique, it’s about adaptation – Arun Karthik:

   How important has the IPL been for you? In a broader sense, in your opinion, how has it changed the lives of domestic Indian cricketers who aren’t well known?

   Basically, the IPL is giving the biggest platform any domestic player can ask for. For me, in an instant it changed my life. I scored 149 on my Ranji debut(for Tamil Nadu) against Karnataka but that did not give me any recognition, but the six I hit off the last ball(in a CL T20 game against South Australia) got me a better recognition. IPL is one big event which promotes all youngsters.

   There is lot of criticism against IPL, but in a way, it has improved lives of many youngsters, especially monetarily.

   Yes, it has made a big impact. The perception of cricketers has changed. They have started to think big. It has changed many people’s lives in terms of money and recognition. IPL gives us a great opportunity to mingle with cricketers from other countries. So, now we don’t see them as any superior than us and we realize that we can compete with them in any area.

   RCB is the second team that you are playing for in the IPL. What difference do you see between CSK and RCB? You have worked under Kepler Wessels and Ray Jennings, both of whom are South Africans. What similarities and differences do you see in their style of working?

   As a team, both CSK and RCB are almost the same. Both cities have a similar sports and cricketing culture. So, there are no big differences. People here speak the same language that I speak. So I feel as a hometown boy here. As far as Kepler Wessels and Ray Jennings are concerned, I haven’t interacted with Kepler that much. It was everybody’s first year in the IPL (2008), but what I noticed in him was that he is a genuine person. A very tough character. As far as Ray Jennings is concerned, he is also a tough guy. A tough coach. He is very friendly and very interactive. He is a genuine person who speaks his mind. He has helped me a lot with my wicketkeeping.

   Do these coaches limit suggestions/improvements to the T20 game or do they give tips for the longer formats as well?

   A coach’s duty is to take care of the players. It has got nothing to do with the format. A coach needs to get the best out of any player.

   You are a wicketkeeper and in RCB, there is another world class keeper in the form of AB de Villiers. Do you interact with him? What sort of tips has he shared?

   I talk a lot with him, but we haven’t talked much about wicketkeeping. Maybe once or twice, but just about the gloves.

   How did the transfer from CSK to RCB happen?

   I was with CSK for three years but could play only 1 game. CSK is one of the team where it is very tough to get a chance. They have the strongest batting line-up; they are the champions. I thought I needed a change.

   You spoke about the last ball six. When we spoke to your RCB teammate Raju Bhatkal, he told us about the scenarios in your training program. Do you prepare in the nets for a last ball six or say, 30 runs required in 2 overs?

   Ya obviously. T20 is more about the tactics. You need to understand the situation very early. If you haven’t played in that situation before, you have to adapt and play accordingly. According to me, it’s not about technique, it’s about adaptation. Practicing a million times only helps in understanding the situations better. We do work on this a lot. We watch a lot of cricket which helps in understanding the game better.

   How does the franchise help in team building? Are there any specific exercises? On television, there seems to be a great camaraderie between the Indian and foreign players. Is there a strong bonding within the players in a franchise?

   I am not aware of any specific exercises. It comes naturally. We don’t see them as foreigners. We see them as just another human being who plays cricket. We all play one game. It’s a long season, the IPL goes on for 2 months so you really can’t stay without interacting. You have to open up sometime or the other. In that case, our coach does a brilliant job. He unites everybody and sees that everyone sticks together.

   Let’s get back to RCB. Daniel Vettori has been the regular captain and Virat Kohli is the leader in waiting. How different are their captaincy styles?

   Vettori is a very experienced cricketer. He has been an international cricketer for many years now. He is naturally calm and not very aggressive. He is a cool customer. Captaincy is all about your inherent nature, it reflects on the game. Vettori has a great understanding with the players. Virat is very aggressive on the field. He is a youngster, just 22-23. He is really active and energetic on the field and brings that energy to the team as well. Under his captaincy, the competitive spirit among the boys is similar to when you are playing a club or a college level game. He wants to win every game and brings that feeling to the side.

   You have played just one game in this year’s IPL. How do you keep yourself motivated and mentally ready in case you get a call-up to the playing XI?

   It’s a long tournament. So it’s not about preparation on that day or at that moment. The preparation begins at the end of the previous year’s tournament. You need to be ready at any point of time, for any opportunity. You have to prepare yourself as if you are playing every game.

   You have played with Tamil Nadu players like L Balaji and S Badrinath in the Ranji trophy. These players are important cogs in their own IPL teams’ wheels. So when RCB faces off against these teams, do you share tips to counter these players whom you know so well?

   I give some suggestions, but we have professional video analysts to do that. If I feel that some point is important to the team, then I contribute.

   Could you tell us something about Gayle off the pitch? Something which we don’t know.

   Gayle is one extraordinary human being. He is one of a kind. AB de Villiers is another brilliant human being. I’m one of the biggest fans of AB. Gayle cannot be described easily. He is a very calm individual. He has really witty one liners.

   One player in the RCB camp whom you go up to when you feel that you need some correction or advise. Apart from the coach.

   A: (Muttiah) Muralitharan. I have known him since our CSK days and I have a good comfort level with him. We mingle with each other really well.