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Going into his 100th Test, Kevin Pietersen answers readers’ questions on his plans for the future, the best bowling he has faced, and more

21-Nov-2013How can a young player like myself focus for long periods of time at the crease?

asked
If you train and practise hard, that always helps you prepare for your innings in the middle. Simply put, the fitter you are, the easier it is to concentrate. Take plenty of fluids on board as well. I try and switch off in between balls and think of something else and then switch on when the bowler is at the start of his run-up.Who is your nemesis bowler?
asked
That would have to be my old mate, “pie chucker” Yuvraj Singh. Seriously, though, I don’t think I have one, really. Warne and Murali were both truly great bowlers. I always like to go up against the best bowlers in the world and I’m very fortunate that I get to train with a few of them in the England team in the nets.When batting against opposition who speak a language other than English, have you picked up key words so that you’re aware of the tactics they’re trying to deploy?
asked
No, I tend to concentrate on what I am doing rather than trying to work out what the opposition are saying. Normally there are a few choice words that don’t need any translation, but I have never bothered about sledging or how someone plans to bowl to me.How did the idea of the switch hit come about?
asked
I had actually been working on it in the nets a long time before I played it in a game, so I was confident it would work. I am always looking for areas to score and the switch hit allowed me to open up the other side of the field when options on the leg side were tight.What were your feelings when you played your first Test and what are you feelings now as you are about to play your 100th?
asked
Before my first Test I was incredibly excited and very, very proud, and that feeling never really changes. But I admit it will be a particularly proud moment for me in Brisbane, reaching that landmark playing for England. It makes it even more special doing it in the first Test of an Ashes series with such a fantastic team.KP, when you retire after your 200th Test where would you love it to be played?
asked
Two hundredth Test! Well, if my body is still going by then, I suspect they will have a few new Test venues as well, so let’s hope they have one in Mauritius, near a beach!How will you approach the 100th Test? Any nerves?
asked
In preparation terms it will be no different to any other, but it will be a very proud moment for me, walking out in Brisbane. All of the lads are so excited now, and we just can’t wait to get out there and start what is going to be a fantastic series.

“I don’t want to talk myself out of a James Bond or role, but so far I haven’t had that phone call”

How important is game time in the middle as preparation for Test cricket versus practice in nets when you have had three months without a Test innings?
asked
Nets are very important to get in the groove or work on anything specific you’ve been thinking about or need adjusting, but time in the middle is vital, particularly if you have had a long time out. In terms of preparation, you can’t put a price on it.I am a huge fan and I would like to know will we ever get to see that dyed hairstyle of the 2005 Ashes series again? We all loved that flamboyant style.
asked
I can safely say the only time you will see the skunk again is if you google “dodgy hairstyles”. Whenever I see it I think: what was I doing? It was fun times, though!You played county with Shane Warne before making a name in international cricket. How has it inspired and affected you?
asked
Warney was a great player obviously and so he taught me a lot about the game and how bowlers think, but I didn’t take advice from him on his fitness and diet regime!What is more important for you: winning the Ashes, being the No. 1 Test team or winning both World Cups? Please only choose one.
asked
Well, there is only one that I haven’t achieved, so to win an ODI World Cup would be right up there. But all of those are fantastic feats and I’m so proud we as a team have managed to achieve them.I am 14 years old. I struggle playing spin bowling and at times find it difficult to score runs. You have played world-class spinners like Shane Warne. Do you have a plan when facing spinners? If so, what is it, and what do you think are the most effective run-scoring shots against spinners?
asked
Well, most coaches will tell you to hit with the spin, which is not a bad starting point, but there are times when you can’t always do that if the field placings are defensive. That was really why I came up with the switch hit – to open up different scoring areas – but I wouldn’t suggest you pull that shot out unless you have practised it! Believe me, I did. If you are going to hit a spinner down the ground you have to get as close to the pitch of the ball as possible, commit to the shot, and keep your head still.Which innings you will never forget?
asked
There are a few but my innings at The Oval in 2005 was a special one for me as it was my first big score on that stage and it helped bring the Ashes home in what was my first Test series. A really special time of my life. I hit a decent ton in Mumbai and a double in Adelaide which are certainly up there as well. Big scores on the subcontinent are always tough because on top of everything else you are normally fighting high humidity, dehydration and a lot of sweat!Playing South Africa for the first time, on your second tour as an English cricketer, must have been an emotional experience. Are you able to describe how you handled the pressure of that situation? Did some of the players, fans and media criticism get to you at all?
asked
I can’t say that I wasn’t aware of the noise when I went out to bat at the Wanderers, for example, but I remember Michael Vaughan coming up to me and saying, the only thing you need to worry about is small and white: see the ball and hit it. Everything else was irrelevant. I was pretty much in my own zone, trying to concentrate on what I was doing. I think because I was young, I didn’t really feel the pressure. I just had to back my ability to connect with the ball and it seemed to work, thankfully!Fun times: skunk hair and all•Getty ImagesCongratulations for such a wonderful journey and hope you keep playing more and more and delight billions of cricket fans worldwide. But why cricket? Why not movies like James Bond or ?

asked
I don’t want to talk myself out of a James Bond or role, but so far I haven’t had that phone call! I was asked to go to LA to screen-test for a film but it was in the middle of summer so it was a non-starter for obvious reasons. I loved playing all sports at school, so like most other kids growing up my dream was to be a professional sportsman and I’m so thankful that I’ve managed to live my childhood dream.Did you enjoy your stint as an expert with ESPN-Star during the T20 World Cup after the fiasco during the SA series just before that? Fancy more of that after retirement? Your views are good to hear.
asked
Yeah, I absolutely loved it. ESPN were great to work with and the other studio guests looked after me. It was a totally different experience for me. It’s certainly a lot easier talking about the game than playing it. Post-retirement, who knows what I will do. Hopefully that is still a little while away yet.Are you going to retire after your 100 Tests and just continue playing T20s?

asked
No, I want to keep going for as long as my body will let me. I want to play one-day cricket through to the World Cup in 2015, and then, if the knees, eyes and hands still let me, continue with Test cricket.How do you deal with being a celebrity, living in the public limelight, people knowing your business etc?
asked
It’s not something that I ever thought I would have to handle but I suppose you just get used to it over time. There are occasions when you just want privacy and downtime and that’s not always possible, but I wouldn’t change anything. I am a professional sportsman playing for my country in a game I love, travelling the world. It doesn’t get much better than that.Have you ever had or seen a stranger dismissal than when your helmet hit the stumps against West Indies in 2007?
asked
Not really! Certainly not in a way that I’ve lost my wicket!In which Test match, have you faced the most exciting and competitive over, and from which bowler?
asked
Difficult question, Marko. Facing Murali and Warne was always a challenge because of the drift, turn and variation they could get. I think the spell that really stands out for me was Brett Lee at the Oval Test in 2005, when he was bowling at 90-plus mph and wasn’t taking any prisoners. It was a tough spell just avoiding being hit before I thought about trying to score runs. If you are wondering what it’s like, get a bowling machine and dial in the speed and go and stand in the other end of a net and watch. Take a helmet!Thanks for your involvement and apologies both from ESPNcricinfo and Kevin if yours was not one of the questions answered.

The talented Gujarat batsman has not had an easy run to the top in domestic cricket, but he is prepared for the challenges he knows lie ahead

Devashish Fuloria22-Dec-2013In September this year, Gujarat’s Manpreet Juneja was selected for India A’s unofficial Tests against the visiting New Zealand and West Indies sides on the back of a solid first-class record. The 23-year-old right-hand batsman averaged 74.28 after his first two seasons of first-class cricket and he lived up to the billing in the unofficial Tests, top-scoring in each innings, ahead of names such as Unmukt Chand and Vijay Zol. He narrowly missed a double-century against the New Zealand attack, led by Doug Bracewell, in Visakhapatnam during a free-flowing innings, and he was the only batsman to put up a fight against West Indies with gritty half-centuries in both innings.”I rate a big century on a good pitch and a 70-odd on a tough one equally,” Juneja says about the experience. “Scoring runs against international teams always gives you confidence. The runs against New Zealand [193] came on a good pitch, but the two fifties that I got against West Indies were equally satisfying.”It hasn’t been all rosy since. In six Ranji Trophy matches this season, Juneja has seen five of his team-mates share seven centuries in a young Gujarat team’s quest for a place in the knockouts. As one of the main batsmen, though, he has scored just 90, with a top score of 50, and that once-impressive average of 70-plus has plunged to 58.46. In Gujarat’s last outing, against Haryana, he was pushed down the order from the No. 3 position that he had earned after much hard work. Now Juneja finds himself in another tussle with himself to make good on his obvious batting talent.

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In Gujarat, a lot of players give up cricket early to join family dhandho (business), but Juneja’s father, who runs a tyre dealership, was supportive of his son’s career motives; possibly, Juneja says, because he loves cricket too. Juneja needed that support early in his career after failing to make it to the India Under-19 and Gujarat state teams.In recent years the high-profile nature of U-19 tournaments has given early visibility to exceptional talents in India. So it’s not a surprise that missing out on an India Under-19 berth after being part of the probables came as a setback for Juneja.Making it to the top level of cricket is always very tough, Juneja says, and that is why he stopped worrying about things that were not in his control. “Once I was not selected, my goals became very small,” he says. “I stopped thinking too far ahead. So when I moved through U-19s to U-22 to Ranji, I didn’t realise when it happened, because I wasn’t thinking too much about it. I never took my mind off cricket. When I eventually came to play Ranji, I was better prepared, I had more shots.”He went back and worked with Mukund Parmar, the former Gujarat coach, who took him on as one of his personal assignments during his five months of Level 3 coaching.”I had seen Juneja from his U-17 days and he was always a promising player,” Parmar says. “But for some time, he was struggling to score runs and we tried to find out the problem areas and solve them. He had issues against certain deliveries back then, but now he is comfortable with his technique.”Juneja featured in two List A matches for Gujarat in 2009 before he went back to the drawing board. He made a return to the state team two years later, first in limited-overs matches and then in the Ranji Trophy, and became a regular member as soon as he scored an unbeaten 201 against Tamil Nadu from No. 6 on his debut. That innings earned him an IPL contract with Delhi Daredevils, an opportunity that came as a boon, he says. There was a lot to learn from Virender Sehwag, Mahela Jayawardene, Kevin Pietersen, and in 2013, Viv Richards.

“I wasn’t playing matches for Mahela or KP to notice my game. I just had interactions with them. With Mahela, it was about strategy and how to settle down in an innings. KP told me about how to score, how to force your way up the order”

“I wasn’t in an awe of them, but I wanted to know what they do differently,” he says. “They told me that a lot of players have talent at the U-19 level, but only a few who have the mental strength make it to the next stage, and I understand that. I wasn’t playing matches for Mahela or KP to notice my game. I just had interactions with them. With Mahela, it was about strategy and how to settle down in an innings. KP told me about how to score, how to force your way up the order.”That lesson from Pietersen seemed to have done the trick, as Juneja cemented his place at No. 3 after 796 runs in the previous Ranji season. The role brought more responsibility and the freedom to express himself, something Jai Prakash Patel, Juneja’s childhood coach who still works with him, says Juneja is conscious of, as he doesn’t want to be labelled only as a four-day cricketer.Juneja may have an eye on his strike rate, but Parmar says that for a batsman of his calibre, he shouldn’t worry about scoring too quickly too early. “I always tell him to settle in his innings before opening up,” Parmar says. “Last year he scored a century in a crucial T20 game against Kerala, and in that innings too, he took his time. Once he gets going, he can handle any bowling. So he should stop thinking about the strike rate initially.”

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Juneja is part of that new breed of Indian cricketers who, one imagines, would be at ease in an interview for a job in a management consultancy. Articulate but not overweening. Relaxed but focused on each question. Confident but honest in his assessment of his strengths and vulnerabilities. Qualities that employers seek in addition to a strong resumé.Juneja’s CV includes a first-class Bachelors in Commerce, but it is his record as a batsman that has propped his name up in national-level cricket. On the crease, like most good players, he is very still before he unleashes whiplash shots, the quick hands as noticeable when he punches through covers as when he flicks over midwicket.The penchant for quality – as visible in his tall scores as in his pleasing strokeplay – was ingrained while he was growing up, Juneja says. He started playing cricket when he was five and attended coaching camps for the next two years. But realising his interest was veering towards tennis, he gave that a serious shot for a few years. It was selection in his school team at the age of 12 that brought the focus back to cricket.Sport had to be managed along with education. “My mother was always worried about studies. She is from Tamil Nadu, where they give a lot of importance to their academics,” Juneja says. “Till I got selected in the U-19 probables, I was only allowed to play if I got certain percentages in studies. That was very beneficial, because that made me always give a lot of importance to studies. And that became a habit throughout. When I was in college, there wasn’t much pressure, but for me, mediocrity was not on. I did college quite well. I wanted to do well.”Vijay Patel, the current Gujarat coach, says, “We don’t want to put pressure on his game. We let him play as he wants to, because we know he is a big-game player. But we want to groom him as a future leader. Time away from the game in the past has made him tough.”After initial setbacks, Juneja has done well to cut it at the top in domestic cricket, which is like getting a good job right out of university. But the real struggle for him, in life and in cricket, is only beginning now.

Goodbyes to Tendulkar and others, delightful essays and detailed recaps – the 2014 edition of the Indian Wisden has plenty to treasure

Soumya Bhattacharya05-Apr-2014Its inaugural edition in 2013 coincided with the publication of the 150th edition of its big daddy, the . And now here is the second edition of the , its 2014 cover kitted out in its already familiar blue and white.On the cover is a photograph of Sachin Tendulkar walking off the Wankhede turf in his farewell Test, stepping into the shadows as he walks beyond the latticed squares of sunlight and shade on the ground, the standing, cheering crowd a blur of colour in the background, Tendulkar with his right arm holding his upraised bat, helmet in his left, looking upwards, walking away.It is an iconic photograph, one that every Indian cricket fan can conjure up in his mind’s eye in an instant. And yet, on seeing it in print on this cover, I cannot but be again overwhelmed by all those powerful emotions that swamped us on that humid November day in Mumbai. That cover sets the tone for the delectable array of offerings in this volume.The period under review, Suresh Menon tells us in his “Notes by the Editor”, is June 2012 to September 2013. But Tendulkar’s decision to retire in his 200th Test in Mumbai in November 2013 meant that a special section on India’s greatest sporting legend had to be accommodated. The book is better off for this. A , being published in April 2014, would have been infinitely worse off without a valedictory wave towards the man who as much shaped the game during his career as was the poster boy for the world’s most populous democracy.In “His Last Bow”, the section dedicated to Tendulkar, Jaideep Varma and Soham Sarkhel do a nifty job in assessing the master’s impact in numbers. My favourite: the list of five highest-impact Test performances. This is actually two lists. One set comprises impact measured in terms of the particular Test, and the other in terms of the series. In terms of a series, Tendulkar’s 193 against England in Leeds clocks in at No 1. With respect to a particular Test, the 136 against Pakistan in Chennai in 1999 – regardless of India losing the match – is top of the list.Angus Fraser remembers playing against Tendulkar in the Old Trafford Test of 1990. And Mike Coward perceptively elucidates the unique relationship that Australia had – and continues to have – with Tendulkar. Only Narendra Pani’s essay about how Tendulkar’s story is entwined with India’s story of growth and change and his being appropriated by the country for a host of non-cricketing reasons offers nothing original. Off the cuff, I can recall Mike Marqusee, Ramachandra Guha and this reviewer having written about the matter at some length years ago.Essays lie at the heart of every . The ones in here do not disappoint. Marqusee opens the section with a delightful piece on the particular joys of cricket watching: the distinctive manner in which the game treats time and space, and how the desires it satisfies “belong to everything about us that is all-too-human”.Mudar Patherya had me nodding in agreement and amusement. His essay, which begins as an enchanting recollection of Kolkata’s tradition of watching and talking about cricket, finally ripple-dissolves into how, because of the sheer amount of cricket being played nowadays, “while we may be watching more, we are remembering less”.Tariq Ali’s mordant playlet illumines the brief section devoted to fiction around the game.Tendulkar justly gets a section to himself. But there is another, titled “Farewell”, in which tributes are paid to three modern greats who retired in the period on which the book focuses. Peter Lalor writes movingly about Ponting and Hussey; and Ed Smith comes up with a masterful analysis of the career of his contemporary, Andrew Strauss, and the unusual and unexpected turn Strauss’ cricketing journey took.For India fans (and I would assume that India fans will be most drawn towards a ), the match reports, detailed scorecards and series recaps offer much remembered pleasure. The period under review was one in which India did well on the field: the Champions Trophy win and the 4-0 blanking of Australia at home being for me the highlights of that phase.It might seem churlish to pick on this, but it would be remiss of me to not point it out. (Merely one tiny example: look at the opening sentence of p 684.) Menon exhorts us in the penultimate paragraph of his editor’s notes to be gentle with an error when we spot it. I shall be gentle and not much labour the point.Wisden India Almanack 2014
Edited by Suresh Menon
Bloomsbury India
927 pages, Rs 699

After striving so long to play Test cricket, Pankaj Singh’s luck deserted him and then his discipline too

Nagraj Gollapudi at the Ageas Bowl28-Jul-2014Pankaj Singh’s wicket column was empty. Two days at the new job. No returns. Many times he stood in the field, hands on hips with a helpless expression. He would walk back to his bowling mark shaking his head when luck did not smile on him. You could understand his frustration.It was a tough initiation for the man who had cried his heart out at the turn of the New Year, asking the selectors to give him one chance at playing Test cricket. On Sunday the dream became reality when Pankaj was handed his Test cap by former India captain Sourav Ganguly.On Monday, Pankaj sprinted in from backward short leg full of energy and renewed hopes. He settled in quickly, with his fourth delivery whistling past the outside edge off Ian Bell’s hanging bat. The next ball, Bell once again was lured into playing and missing as once again the ball seamed away, missed the edge and MS Dhoni caught the ball at waist height.Bell should not even have been there, if you asked Pankaj. In the first over after the second new ball was taken late on Sunday afternoon, Pankaj, bowling from Northern End, had managed to bend a delivery which seemed to be going down leg but swerved into Bell’s pads at the very last moment. Not only did it catch Bell by surprise but even the umpire, Rod Tucker, was caught off guard. Pankaj shrieked out a prolonged appeal, nearly squatting, but Tucker remained unimpressed.

Pankaj Singh’s bowling breakdown

• Figures on first day: 20-3-62-0

• Second day: 17-5-84-0

• Last seven overs: 7-0-46-0

• Fruitless toil: Pankaj’s figures of 0 for 146 were the second worst by a wicketless bowler on debut, after Bryce McGain (0 for 149 against South Africa, 2009)

While picking up his hat Pankaj checked with Tucker, who might have noted the ball would have gone down the leg side at first sight. According to Hawk-Eye, the ball would have gone on to hit the top of the middle stump. Pankaj had bowled with decent control and intensity on his first day of work, proving he was a capable replacement for the injured Ishant Sharma. He would have had the wicket of Alastair Cook, too, had Ravindra Jadeja not dropped the chance.First ball of Pankaj’s second over today, Bell was forced to play at an outswinger, but the resultant edge zipped past the empty fourth slip pocket. Pankaj grimaced. It was a similar expression he had displayed at the end of the hard day’s work at stumps on Sunday. After he had delivered the final ball of the day, Pankaj bent over with his hands on his knees out in the middle of his pitch with an exhausted and helpless look.You could not help but feel for Pankaj. He had strived hard to reach the international stage. His journey started in a village in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh before he moved down south where he worked part-time at a sweet shop in Bangalore while pursuing dreams of playing top-level cricket. He moved to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai before heading to play domestic cricket for the west state of Rajasthan, where he has grown into their best bowler, leader and mentor to youngsters.Pankaj was the central architect of Rajasthan winning the Ranji Trophy title in successive years in 2011 and 2012 seasons. He has been the most consistent, high-performing fast bowler in the last five years in Indian first-class cricket.Yet Pankaj continued to be ignored by the selectors, who did not even deem him fit to play on India A tours. No selector ever told him what they expected of him or what they needed him to work on. Each time a team was announced, Pankaj would just swallow the pain and get on with the job. With such a compelling back-story, Pankaj, at 29 years old, was bound to be emotional on his debut.It is also easy to understand his eagerness to make an impact. It is like being in the first week of job. It is natural you want to impress – more yourself than others. You want to feel that you have earned your job.Credit to him, on the first day Pankaj did not show nerves. He bowled tidily and mostly followed his captain MS Dhoni’s instructions. After every over Dhoni would share insights and tips with the debutant. It was important to tell the bowler he had his captain’s confidence. Giving Pankaj the second new ball was a cue.

A decent percentage of Pankaj’s 258 first-class wickets for Rajasthan was of batsmen who can easily get distracted. International batsmen are a different breed. Pankaj would have learned that lesson by now

Yet Pankaj was a lost soul on Monday, especially after lunch. It did not help his cause that Dhoni never allowed his bowlers to settle into a rhythm, as Pankaj bowled six one-over spells in the second session. Pankaj, broad-shouldered, 6ft 4in tall, uses a lot of his body in his action. He relies on rhythm to plot his wickets. So Dhoni’s out-of-the-box method did not especially aid Pankaj.However, it was not Dhoni’s fault that Pankaj strayed in his lines and lengths. Too many times today he lost control by either spraying it short and wide or down the leg side, offering easy shots for Bell and Gary Balance in the morning and later Bell and Jos Butler in the afternoon.For Rajasthan, a decent percentage of Pankaj’s 258 first-class wickets was of batsmen who can easily get distracted. International batsmen are a different breed. Pankaj would have learned that lesson by now. His duel with Bell was a fascinating example. Bell had played and missed frequently but any room he got from Pankaj he punished the bowler: like the solid, back-foot square drive in the morning, standing high on his toes, that raced to the boundary and pushed Pankaj back into his corner.Pankaj was desperate. But he needs to understand being successful is not only about taking wickets. It is also about working for your bowling partners. Whenever he was thrown the ball, he needed to be disciplined, especially on a placid and slow pitch, to not lose the momentum which would only put pressure on the rest of the bowling. It was important to stick to the off-stump line and bowl the channels – a simple, monotonous chore, yet one that has proved effective for every successful fast bowler. What stands in Pankaj’s favour is he has employed that same method on unresponsive, flat pitches in India for the last decade.It is easy to get frustrated. It is easy to feel you are on your own when you finish as the second most-expensive bowler without a wicket in your first outing. But Pankaj is not alone there. Michael Holding recollected his debut Test in Brisbane in 1975 tour of Australia where he finished wicketless.That is the truth in Test cricket: it can be a lonely place when things are not going your way. As a debutant you want to feel belonged on your first days at work. But you need to clock a lot of mileage before you get to that spot.

Plays of the Day from the CLT20 qualifier between Mumbai Indians and Southern Express in Raipur

Vishal Dikshit14-Sep-2014The no-ball?
Kusal Perera was swatting the ball around early on once again, missing some and hitting some. After Harbhajan Singh’s maiden in the third over, he struck Jasprit Bumrah for a four. When he tried another slog off the next ball he only managed a top edge, which was easily taken by Shreyas Gopal at midwicket. But the umpires checked for a no-ball, and replays suggested that Bumrah had overstepped, his heel seemingly just landing on the crease. It appeared to be too close for the third umpire to call in the end, though, and Kusal did not get a another go.The face-saver
Offspinner Jalaj Saxena created a chance in his tidy first over, when Danushka Gunathilaka tried to hit a full delivery down the ground but a top edge went high towards deep cover. Harbhajan ran back from point, Michael Hussey ran in from the deep but Harbhajan called for it and never made it, even though Hussey was in a better position to take it. However, Harbhajan made up for it two deliveries later when Gunathilaka tried a slog and a thick edge flew straight towards point; this time Harbhajan’s forward-slide dismissed the well-set batsman for 30.The helpful bystander
Mumbai’s fielding was not helping them despite a decent start from their bowlers. They nearly conceded another boundary, in the 13th over, when Ambati Rayudu ran towards deep midwicket, dived to his left with a slide and got a hand to the ball which was speeding towards the rope. The ball then got under Rayudu’s left thigh and nearly rolled away for a four before he got up and a hesitant Hussey picked the ball up and threw it back. Several repays finally confirmed that the ball was safe inside the boundary and what looked familiar in those replays was Hussey in the background, waiting for his team-mate to do the needful.The two strikers
If the shot selection of the Express batsmen wasn’t putting them in enough trouble, a mix-up made things worse for them. Angelo Perera and Seekkuge Prasanna were trying to revive the innings with a 25-run stand at 10-per over and Prasanna had struck two sixes. In the 14th over, Angelo tapped a delivery from Pragyan Ojha just behind square on the leg side. Prasanna ran like a hare, Angelo also took a couple of steps but realised the keeper sprang to the ball too quickly and Angelo yelled thrice to send Prasanna back but Aditya Tare had thrown the ball to Ojha by then. The two batsmen ended up face-to-face at the batsman’s end, instead of being 22 yards apart.The drop (outside the boundary)
Jonty Rhodes was being shown on the television every time Mumbai dropped a catch or displayed sloppy fielding. In the last over of the Express innings, Farveez Maharoof launched a full delivery to the cow-corner boundary. The ball sailed well over the boundary rope and a ball boy was all set for the catch. He got his hands under it and caught it too, but the ball popped not once, not twice, but three times out of his hands and eventually fell to the ground – something it did too often throughout the 20 overs.

Sushil Nadkarni made the country’s administrators aware that quality cricket exists outside the traditional power bases of New York, Los Angeles and Florida

Peter Della Penna10-Dec-2014After sailing the high seas of international cricket for the past nine years, the time has come for the SS Nadkarni to dock permanently in Houston, Texas. The territorial waters around the Americas will be a bit calmer with the retirement of a player who plundered more than his fair share of opposition bowling attacks.This correspondent’s desire to cover the USA cricket beat was sparked in part by one of Sushilkumar Suhas Nadkarni’s record-setting feats. Perusing the scorecards on ESPNcricinfo one day in November 2008, yours truly clicked on a match between USA and Suriname and the first name at the top of the sheet read “SS Nadkarni… c Doekhie b Sewanan… 197”. One-hundred-and-ninety seven? Damn! Who was this guy and where could I see him play?The first opportunity to report on him in person came at a USACA national tournament in August 2009 in Minnesota, where on the second day of the event, he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. At that stage, one might have thought that the opportunity to see the best of Nadkarni had passed for good.But as far as Nadkarni was concerned, his best was yet to come, and it’s hard to argue with his assessment going by the 57 not out off 59 balls he scored against Nepal at Tribhuvan University on the outskirts of Kathmandu in February 2010.Up to that stage, Nadkarni had experienced a disastrous time on that tour in what was a rushed comeback from an Achilles injury. He hobbled around Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kathmandu more or less on one leg. The way he moved at 33, he looked older than 43-year-old team-mate Sudesh Dhaniram.After a half-century in a warm-up game against the UAE ahead of the World T20 Qualifier that preceded the WCL Division Five in Nepal, he could not get going once each tournament was underway. He started with scores of 1, 12 and 1. It was obvious he could not buy a break when he middled the first ball of USA’s chase against Singapore straight to square leg for a golden duck.That’s what made it all the more remarkable when he produced a Man-of-the-Match performance against Nepal in the midst of a volatile atmosphere in Kathmandu. When everything else in his cricket had gone to pieces, he went back to his cornerstone, the slog sweep. The confidence he had in that one shot alone helped resurrect USA’s fortunes in that match.As his fourth six sailed over deep midwicket, a steady stream of rocks, plastic bottles, aluminium cans and assorted other debris came back in the opposite direction to salute his half-century. Nadkarni kept his cool after the ensuing riot and the steamship carried on full speed ahead for the next few years.Regardless of the opponent, on most days a healthy Nadkarni was ruthless. He claimed ten Man-of-the-Match awards in his career, the most for any USA player, as well as two Player-of-the-Series honours. His four centuries are also a USA record. Quite a few of his 14 fifties could have been three-figure scores had it not been for the fact that USA often had low targets to chase, thanks to a stifling bowling unit.Yet that was no excuse for Nadkarni because even with a target of 130 against Cayman Islands in 2010, he managed to blaze USA’s fastest century, off 54 balls, wrapping up the chase in 13.5 overs in the process.His record against most teams was respectable and he feasted on the Americas sides, but more impressively, he had a superb record against Nepal: in seven innings, Nadkarni scored 300 runs at an average of 60, and twice claimed the Man-of-the-Match award.Although he was best suited to play as an opener, he voluntarily moved down to No. 4 or 5 in games against Nepal for the sake of the team, because on most occasions, he was the only left-handed batsman available to tackle Nepal’s arsenal of left-arm spinners. As USA’s best player of spin, it was vital that he blunt Nepal’s most potent weapon during the middle overs, a task he carried out with considerable aplomb.

Regardless of the opponent, on most days Nadkarni was ruthless. He claimed ten Man-of-the-Match awards in his career, far and away the most for any USA player, as well as two Player-of-the-Series honours. His four centuries are also a USA record

On his last tour, though, Nadkarni finally started to run out of steam. A series of nagging injuries contributed to him only taking the field for one game, in October on the tour of Malaysia in Division Three, scoring just 9. For all the mayhem he brought to cricket ovals around the world, it was a peculiarly quiet way to go out, though his last match in the USA for the national team was an unbeaten century in a warm-up against Bermuda in 2013.Aside from the mountain of runs he scored, one of Nadkarni’s most significant contributions to USA cricket was awakening the national administration to the fact that quality cricket exists outside the traditional power bases of New York, Los Angeles and Florida.Many players who have subsequently been selected to play for USA while plying their domestic trade in cities like Milwaukee and Seattle owe a debt of gratitude to Nadkarni for proving that players based in non-traditional areas are capable of performing if given a chance. Imagine how much better USA might have fared if Nadkarni had been in USA’s squad for both the 2004 Champions Trophy and the 2005 ICC Trophy.That ship sailed long ago, though, and now this one must be moored as well. The SS Nadkarni. A trusty, sturdy steamship indeed.

ESPNcricinfo rates the South Africa performance from the Test series against West Indies

Firdose Moonda07-Jan-20159
Hashim Amla (342 runs at 114.00, 1 hundred, 1 fifty)
The captain continued to blossom under the additional responsibility and was the highest run-scorer overall in the series. Amla’s double hundred came in his first match leading at home and formed the spine of South Africa’s win, while his fifty in Cape Town was important in asserting authority over an improving West Indies. He was an inspirational leader and managed his troops well, particularly when it came to making bowling changes or asking for additional spells and he did not allow minds to grow restless during lengthy rain delays.AB de Villiers (310 runs at 103.33, 2 hundreds)
Lauded as one of the best batsmen in the world, de Villiers thrilled with contrasting centuries – a creative knock in Centurion to help Amla build a tower of a total, and a grinding hundred in Cape Town to give South Africa the first-innings lead that ultimately won them the match. De Villiers is capable of capitalising on a start or rebuilding following a spot of trouble. He can bat with either the top or lower order and handled all bowlers with characteristic class in the series. He also had to pick up the wicketkeeping duties following an injury to Quinton de Kock and, bar one dropped catch, was impeccable behind the stumps.Morne Morkel (13 wickets at 20.61)
Often overlooked for accolades despite being South Africa’s most fearsome bowler at times, Morkel got the recognition he deserved by finishing as the most successful bowler of the series. He consistently threatened the batsmen with the short ball, hit a few of them and bowled spells laced with danger. He reached speeds in the mid-140s, was disciplined with his lines and led the attack for a change.8Dean Elgar (217 runs at 72.33, 1 hundred, 1 fifty; 1 wicket at 31)
Dubbed the senior opener because of Alviro Petersen’s lull in form, Elgar accepted the responsibility well. He scored a patient century in Port Elizabeth and negotiated a tricky final morning in Cape Town to script the series victory. Ever eager to turn his arm over, he also pitched in when required as a spare bowler and was effervescent in the field. He took the catch that dismissed Marlon Samuels in Cape Town and ultimately caused West Indies to fold.Dale Steyn (13 wickets at 22.15; 58 runs, 1 fifty)
A morning of fury in Centurion which demolished West Indies in 80 minutes and a vein-popping blitz through them in Cape Town made up for Steyn’s lulls at other times in the series. He was occasionally down on pace but never short on intent or aggression and finished as the joint leading wicket-taker. Steyn overtook Makhaya Ntini as South Africa’s second-highest all-time Test wicket-taker and has his eye on the 400 mark and Shaun Pollock’s record in the future. Steyn also scored the second-fastest Test fifty by a South African batsman, during his 28-ball 58 in Port Elizabeth.7Faf du Plessis (185 runs at 46.25, 1 hundred, 1 fifty)
Irritated with himself after a duck in Centurion, du Plessis returned to his sage-like self in Port Elizabeth with a slow-burn century that set South Africa up well. He also scored an important 68 in the first innings in Cape Town to keep a fired up West Indian attack at bay and has established himself in the spot at one-drop.Stiaan van Zyl (163 runs at 81.50, 1 hundred; 1 wicket at 41)
All the hype surrounding last season’s top run-scorer in the first-class competition was justified when he became just the fifth South African to record a century on Test debut. He had a decent platform to build on in the first Test and the best mentors in AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla at the other end, and he showed class and control in his breakthrough knock. He looks ready to succeed Alviro Petersen in the opener’s spot.Simon Harmer (7 wickets at 21.85)
After topping the wicket-takers list in the 2012-13 season in domestic cricket, Harmer thought his chance would come earlier than it eventually did. He had to wait while South Africa rotated through Robin Peterson, Imran Tahir and Dane Piedt. When given the opportunity he took it with a controlled and incisive showing on the ground best suited to turn in the country. Harmer was impressive in Cape Town where he played to team tactics, switching between holding and aggressive roles, and played an important role in limiting South Africa’s eventual run chase.6Vernon Philander (6 wickets at 29.33)
Nicknamed the King of Newlands for his ability to take wickets on home turf, Philander went without reward in Cape Town and had limited success everywhere else. He continued to ask questions with a probing line outside off and a hint of seam movement, but batsmen seemed to have better answers. He also did not hold up the lower-order as he may have liked.5 Alviro Petersen (86 runs at 21.50)

The under-fire opener hoped this would be the series that offered his career a lifeline. Instead it was the one that ended it. His run of innings without centuries extended to 27, although he looked set to change that in three of his four knocks. Petersen got himself in and then out with bizarre shot selection and lapses in concentration. After a duck in the second innings at Newlands, he announced his retirement.4 Temba Bavuma (25 runs at 12.50)
South Africa’s first-ever black African batsman had the expectations of a nation on him and although he was not as successful as other debutants have been, he showed promise. He got starts in both innings with a confident approach at the crease and batted for almost an hour on each occasion, but succumbed to decent deliveries. He will be one to watch out in the future but may need more time in the domestic game to be ready for the step up.Imran Tahir (3 wickets at 36)
Recalled for a fourth time in his career after an injury to Robin Peterson, Tahir’s menu had hardly changed as he served up his usual mix of full tosses and seemingly limitless variations. He struggled to hold his end, but had some success in the latter parts of his performance when he got into the tail. Nonetheless, he was dropped for the final match.Kyle Abbott (1 wicket at 61)
Another one-off appearance as part of an all-pace attack made it difficult for Abbott to make a strong case for himself. While he achieves considerable bounce and some swing, he was the least threatening of the pace pack in his only appearance in Centurion and probably needs a more sustained run to show what he is really capable of.

The reputation of being a walking cricket encyclopaedia can be hard to maintain, but sometimes it leads to a wonderful story

Steven Lynch13-Apr-2015I wish I had a pound for every time I’ve been told, “You must know my father/uncle/grandfather – he played a lot of cricket.” It usually happens after someone has mentioned my supposedly vast knowledge of the game, and it usually ends with embarrassment all round when I’ve never heard of the aged relative, who turns out to have played once for Sussex’s Second XI in 1952. There are, after all, thousands of gifted players who are legends in local circles but never quite cracked the pages of Wisden.But this latest instalment was different. At the quiet surroundings of a fish-and-chip supper outside Melbourne at the church where my brother is the assistant curate, I was given the usual worrying introduction as the cricket man, and out it came: “You might have heard of my father. Although it was a long time ago.”I was just preparing the usual get-out-of-jail-free answer, when my inquisitor served up the Ask Steven equivalent of a leg-side full toss: “He went on the Ashes tour in 1930. Don Bradman’s first time in England.””What’s your surname?” I gasped. “Hurwood.” Aha. I’d read the books, seen the cigarette cards. “Alec, then?” “Yep, that’s him.”I wasn’t the only one who was relieved. My father was nervous after bigging me up with the old cricket-encyclopaedia intro, and my brother was pleased as he knew something I didn’t: the questioner – the Rev Phil Hurwood – was his boss.

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Alec Hurwood was a bowler from then-unfashionable Queensland who sent down offbreaks and offcutters at a brisk pace from a very short run – only about four or five paces. Oddly, he probably owed his place on that Ashes tour to a bowling performance during a batting world record. On the first morning of the Sheffield Shield match in Sydney in January 1930, Hurwood dismissed Don Bradman for 3, and troubled him in the second innings too, rattling the stumps when he had 80 – but the bails stayed on, and Bradman stayed in. And in. He rolled on to 452 not out, the highest first-class score at the time. New South Wales piled up 761 for 8 – but Hurwood took six of those wickets, for 179. The Sydney Morning Herald admired his persistence: “His outswing, with the threatened offbreak which came through straight, or occasionally went a little bit away, was always disconcerting. He was able to make the ball rise sharply.” Their correspondent concluded sniffily that “the other bowlers were futile”.

“That a bowler able to spin the ball as he could should not have had more opportunities certainly caused a good deal of surprise. Although never scored off with any approach to freedom, he was rarely kept on for any reasonable spell” on Hurwood

Queensland fell a bit short of the 770 they needed for victory – all out for 84 – but the Cairns Times looked on the bright side: “Hurwood must be considered by the Australian selectors.” And he was duly called up for the Ashes tour that followed, although he didn’t have much luck in England, and failed to make the Test side. In 20 other first-class games on tour he took just 28 wickets, although Wisden did express surprise that he wasn’t used more: “Of Hurwood curiously enough not much was seen. That a bowler able to spin the ball as he could should not have had more opportunities certainly caused a good deal of surprise. Although never scored off with any approach to freedom, he was rarely kept on for any reasonable spell.”Bradman blamed three-day matches for this (in Australia at the time, Shield games were played to a finish). “On an English tour the speed with which a bowler captures wickets is terribly important,” he wrote. “Alec Hurwood’s lack of success in 1930 could be directly traced to such a consideration: he bowled excellently, but [captain Bill] Woodfull could not afford to keep him on. It would have meant more time in the field.”Back at home, Hurwood did get a Test cap when West Indies made their first full tour in 1930-31. He took seven wickets in the first Test, at home in Brisbane, and 4 for 22 in the concluding innings of the second match in Sydney, including the great George Headley for 2 as the Windies folded for 90. But that was that. Hurwood had trouble persuading his employers, General Motors, to give him more time off, and played no more that season. He ended his Test career with 11 wickets at 15.45: only Tom Kendall (14 in the first two Tests of all in 1877) and the offspinner Jason Krejza (13 in 2008) have taken more wickets in a two-Test career for Australia.The 1930 Australian Ashes tourists: Hurwood (back row, second from left); Bradman (front row, first)•PA PhotosEarly in 1932, Hurwood moved south. “I am sorry to be leaving Queensland,” he said, “but I have to earn my living, and that seems to be in Sydney.” It was a time of Depression, and cricket took a back seat: he never played first-class cricket again.

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Hurwood didn’t actually go to Sydney: he ended up down in Melbourne. Says Phil’s brother Ross: “I know he lived the life of the distinguished bachelor living in the Chevron Hotel – in St Kilda Road I think – playing golf regularly, and I would think grade cricket. He took me to a practice ground once, saying it was where the grade team practised.”
And sister Jan, the eldest, recalls: “When he enlisted in the army during WW2 he played in the Middle East with an Australian Army side under Lindsay Hassett. By the end of the war he would have been 43 so didn’t play much after that I guess… I remember he and Mum talking about Hassett as a good friend. They also told me that Alec Bedser came to visit us at home when I was a baby – would have been the 1946-47 series after the war. I have a MCC touring team Christmas card signed ‘Eric and Alec’.”There’s some more treasured memorabilia shared between the three Hurwood siblings: Jan also has a battered baggy green cap. But among Phil’s most prized possessions is a framed letter from Bradman to his father, from January 1934. In it the Don sympathises with the choice Hurwood had been forced to make: “It must have been a break for you at first to give up cricket but you have adopted the best course without any doubt. Despite the position I hold in the cricket world I would give up cricket tomorrow if it stood between me and a business career. Cricket means absolutely nothing but honour and glory which is only hollow. At present I am more or less at the crossroads and may have to leave Sydney to find a position which carries some sort of promise of a career with it because my cricket lifetime will end in a very few years. Quite a shame you won’t be on the next tour Alec – we’ll miss you but actually you may be better off.”Bradman did soon move, taking up a position as a stockbroker in Adelaide – although his storied cricket career carried on until 1948. The tour to which he was referring was the 1934 trip to England, in which Australia recovered the Ashes lost during the acrimonious Bodyline series.

“As I think the correspondence with Bradman suggests, Dad was of the view that cricket was just a sport, not the be-all and end-all”Phil Hurwood

Phil Hurwood remembers: “My father didn’t marry till the end of the war – 1945 – so by the time we came along he was not actively involved with cricket, though people remembered him. He didn’t talk much about it. He certainly held Bradman in high esteem, but was not a fan of Woodfull, perhaps relating to his lack of opportunity on that 1930 tour. He basically lived in Melbourne, where we were all born, before retiring back to Queensland in 1973.”I know he was really upset when Trevor Chappell bowled that underarm ball against New Zealand at the MCG back in 1981. My mum said he couldn’t eat his tea that night. As I think the correspondence with Bradman suggests, he was of the view that cricket was just a sport, not the be-all and end-all.”And finally, did the cricket gene make it to the sons? “I’m not sure it rubbed off all that much,” smiles Phil. “I played when I was growing up and to my early twenties, never at a high level, then study and work took priority, though I have always enjoyed ball sports and followed cricket a lot, especially when younger. I still have a pile of old ABC cricket books stashed away. He never drilled us or even coached us very much that I can remember. My brother headed to the outback when he was 17, so he didn’t play a lot.”There’s one more intriguing piece of memorabilia. Jan says: “The most interesting, I think, is a personal diary that Dad kept during the 1930 tour. It’s really very comprehensive and maybe I’ll transcribe it some day! Some days he writes a lot more, other days less, but seems to have written something every day of the tour.”An example entry is: ‘Friday August 1st, 1930. Played golf at Burnham Links – very hard seaside course – Ben Travers our host. Left for Swansea at 6. Arrived 10.15. Looks like raining for a week. Wish we could get a spell of fine warm days and hard wickets. Oldfield and Woodfull not playing in this game – have gone to London. Oldfield is neurotic and has to be humoured. Bradman getting a little reserved. He is wonderful the way he looks after himself.'”

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Bradman’s first Ashes tour in 1930 is very well documented, but the Hurwood Diaries still sound like compelling reading. All this from a chance meeting, which provided some great insight on Australian cricket in the 1930s. And some pretty good fish and chips too. I’m very glad I managed to get that first question right.

The job of reserve wicketkeeper has often been a frustrating one on tour

Bill Ricquier04-Jun-2015New Zealand had an interesting selection quandary for the second Test against England at Headingley. Their first-choice wicketkeeper BJ Watling had injured his knee in the first game at Lord’s and was not passed fit to perform behind the stumps. This is an area where the Kiwis have an embarrassment of riches. Brendon McCullum used to keep wickets regularly while Tom Latham did a sound job at Lord’s in place of Watling. But the vote went to the specialist wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi, while Watling played as a batsman. So New Zealand had both their regular keepers in the playing XI.Both ended up having terrific games in New Zealand’s historic victory. Ronchi had a difficult time behind the stumps but made 88 off 70 balls in a startling debut innings while Watling’s beautifully crafted second-innings century helped shape the match.The job of reserve wicketkeeper has often been a frustrating one on tour. In the “old days” you would’ve got at least some cricket. When Tim Zoehrer was an understudy for Ian Healy in 1993, he played eight first-class matches; when Matthew Wade fulfilled the same role for Brad Haddin in 2013, he played one. It is difficult to say whether things have gotten better or worse since tours have become shorter and more intense. Ronchi is lucky in that Watling is a red-ball specialist – international duties were always going to be shared. More often than not the reserve is waiting half in dread and half in eagerness for a loss of form or fitness by the main man – as happened to Matt Prior in Australia in 2013-14 when Jonny Bairstow replaced him for the last two Tests.But, generally, wicketkeepers don’t lose form or fitness. They just go on and on. Think of Godfrey Evans and Alan Knott, Dave Richardson and Mark Boucher, Rodney Marsh, Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist.
Evans was a classic example. He was a major figure in English cricket for over a decade and a regular fixture in a genuinely strong side. He held spectacular catches and had the sort of ebullient and chivvying personality that captains love to have behind the stumps. By the time Evans finished, in 1959, his 91 Tests made him the most capped Test cricketer in the world.One thing Evans was not required to do was make runs. He would bat at eight and if he scored runs, that was a bonus. Of course there were wicketkeepers who were good batsmen as well: England’s Les Ames, the only wicketkeeper to make a 100 first-class centuries; West Indies’ Clyde Walcott, a real allrounder, the only man to have taken at least ten wickets and made a minimum of ten stumpings in Tests; Imtiaz Ahmed of Pakistan; John Waite of South Africa and Farokh Engineer of India. But in more recent years it has been a different story. The keeper has to get runs. Jim Parks of England was an early example of a batsman who turned himself into a keeper. It was Adam Gilchrist who really broke the mould. Now every team wants a Gilchrist and ideally two, in case the first one gets injured.Back in 1993, on Australia’s tour of England, there were 21 first-class matches including six Tests. Healy played 16 and Zoehrer eight. Surely some mistake, I hear you say. No, Zoehrer was an accomplished legspinner; in fact he headed the tourists’ bowling averages though his chances of replacing Warne in that year, of all years, were even more remote than his chances of replacing Healy.Usually – at least historically – you couldn’t rely on the reserve wicketkeeper to bat, let alone bowl. That is why the Watling-Ronchi situation is so unusual. There are precedents but not inspiring ones. In Australia in 1950-51, Evans’ deputy, Arthur McIntyre, was picked as a specialist batsman in the first Test, a nightmarish game for batsmen played on a Brisbane “sticky dog”. England lost heavily, MacIntyre was bowled for one in the first innings and was run out in the second for seven.The third Test between England and India in 1967 at Edgbaston was memorable principally as being the only time all of India’s great spin quartet – Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, Bishan Bedi and Srinivas Venkataraghavan – played in the same Test. Less often remembered is that both of India’s wicketkeepers, Engineer and Budhi Kunderan, played. Kunderan opened the batting and, more implausibly, the bowling – they must have drawn lots in the dressing room.
The classic reserve wicketkeeper was Bob Taylor. He travelled the world as Knott’s understudy wondering when he would get his opportunity; it came when Knott joined World Series Cricket, and soon Taylor had a proper Test career of his own.Keith Andrew was less fortunate. For much of the 1950s and 1960s he was thought by the experts to be the best keeper in England, sounder and more technically proficient than Evans, though lacking the latter’s flair.Andrew’s big chance came on England’s tour of Australia in 1954-55. Evans was injured just before the first Test in Brisbane. Hutton won the toss and put Australia in (Nasser Hussain did the same thing almost 50 years later). In Alec Bedser’s third over, opener Arthur Morris flicked a ball down the leg side and Andrew dived for a very difficult chance. It didn’t stick. Morris went on to make 153. Australia scored 601 for 8 and won by an innings. England went on to win the series though, with Evans playing a key role. Andrew played his second and last Test match in 1963.If you have a submission for Inbox, send it to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line.

Quiet, grounded and shy, 21-year-old Hardik Pandya has let his cricket do all the talking

Amol Karhadkar15-May-20152:01

O’Brien: Pandya did Pollard’s job

When Mumbai hosted the west zone leg of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2014, one lanky allrounder from Baroda raised plenty of eyebrows. Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten 82 off 57 balls against Mumbai left the handful of spectators present at the Wankhede Stadium spellbound. John Wright, the Mumbai Indians head coach-turned talent scout was one of them.It was hence a surprise to see Hardik’s name missing from Baroda’s squad for the Ranji Trophy opener against Bengal last December.
Hardik’s brother, Krunal, was with Baroda reserves, while Hardik was playing an Under-23 game. But throughout the day, Hardik and Krunal’s father, Himanshu, was more interested in checking score updates from Perintalmanna in Kerala than watching the Ranji game at the Reliance stadium.As the domestic season progressed, not only did Hardik break into the Ranji squad, but he also became a regular. He impressed each and every high-profile member of Mumbai Indians during their selection trials. As head coach Ricky Ponting went through the footage of more than 50 shortlisted cricketers ahead of the IPL player auction in February, he zeroed in on Hardik, who was subsequently bought by the franchise at base price.Just a week earlier, Irfan Pathan had spoken highly about Hardik. The former India pacer and his elder brother Yusuf both tagged Hardik as “one to watch out for”.Yusuf was among the first opposition players to congratulate Hardik after his unbeaten 61 off 31 balls during Thursday night’s crunch game against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium. While the burly Kieron Pollard was struggling to time the ball, Hardik’s blitzkrieg snatched the game away from the visitors.It was the second time in as many weeks that Hardik tilted the game in Mumbai’s favour from a hopeless situation. More impressively, he did it against two formidable oppositions – Chennai Super Kings last week and Knight Riders on Thursday night to walk away with the Man-of-the-Match award.While many have been taken aback with Hardik’s exuberance and aggression, his coach isn’t surprised at all. “He has always been like that. Whenever he takes the field, he is supremely confident about his abilities,” Ajay Pawar, who has monitored the Pandya brothers’ progress at the Kiran More Cricket Academy in Vadodara since their Under-14 days, told ESPNcricinfo.”Over the years, right from a club to Baroda Under-23 teams, I have seen him standing up whenever the chips are down for his team. He has the reputation of being the go-to man in different situations. I am delighted he has been able to live up to his reputation even in the IPL.”Hardik wears a stud in one ear, which is often accompanied by a smile on the face. But he wasn’t always this bold and expressive. During Baroda’s Ranji clash against Mumbai, Hardik was too shy to even approach ESPNcricinfo to have his bowling style changed on his player profile page, and instead, sent a message across through Irfan.From his confident appearances on the field and in front of the camera, it does appear as if the shyness has evaporated along with success. Pawar, though, stresses that Hardik will always remain grounded.”His upbringing is such that he doesn’t get carried away,” Pawar said. “I am sure he will use the exposure and the experience of playing with and against so many international players to help him further enhance his skills.”