Remembrance of things fast
Back in the nets after a long break, Saini trying to get back to full pace and add variations
NEW DELHI: A shirtless photo of Navdeep Saini walking on a synthetic track stands out on his Instagram feed. Clicked at the Karan Stadium in Karnal, Haryana, in the first week of June, the fast bowler looks ripped and lean.
“Since Unlock 1 (which the government announced on May 31 after a nationwide lockdown since late March), I have regularly visited the local stadium for my running drills. I am a pacer and it important for my leg strength and rhythm,” said Saini, over the phone. “There was no cricket but my training did not stop. I am lucky that my father has a farm here which is big and I could get enough space for the exercises that I usually do.”
Many Team India players, including captain Virat Kohli, limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma, and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, have been unable to practice their craft or work out anywhere except for in the confines of their homes since March. Saini is one of the very few already back at the nets. For the express bowler who made his breakthrough only in August last year and quickly notched up 10 T20IS and five ODIS, 2020, with its now-postponed T20 World Cup, was supposed to be a chance to cement his place and really make a difference.
Instead, there was the pandemic.
“My job is to play cricket for which I get paid. I am lucky to have that opportunity. Now, if suddenly one is told that he has to stop doing his job, somewhere it does affect mentally,” Saini said. “I was living my dream, playing for India all over the world and out of nowhere, here is a situation where I found I can’t even go out of my house.”
Saini last played for India in February during the tour of New Zealand and was in the squad for the ODI series against South Africa at home. That three-match series got cancelled in the second week of March to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Though Saini stuck to the fitness routines prescribed by the team management through the lockdown, when he finally started bowling at the nets in June, there was just one question on his mind—can he find his rhythm back quickly and hit the deck?
NO POINT WHINING
“Can I complain? People from all walks of life are facing the same situation. So, there is no point whining. It is better that I maintain my focus, follow the process and adjust to the situation,” he said.
Express pace is Saini’s hallmark. In the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL), a thunderbolt from Jofra Archer saw the speedometer hit the 152.60 kmph mark. That was the fastest the England star recorded. At the same edition, Saini’s best was 152.85 kmph.
“The kind of workload that a fast bowler has is definitely different from other cricketers. I have ensured that I take things slowly and not get injured. I had a gym set up in my house during the lockdown. I practised to keep my reflexes intact. Whenever matches resume, the jump will not be too steep, I believe, for me,” said Saini. “I am still not going full tilt at the nets. It’s a gradual process.”
LONGER SPELLS
Not sure when BCCI will hold a national camp for centrally contracted players, the 27-yearold is trying to make the best of what he has.
“I can’t get match practice now. So, visualisation becomes very important,” Saini said. “I have been bowling at the nets, setting my own targets, like what I would do in a particular match situation. For a professional cricketer, things like gym and diet are necessary but more important than that is maintaining the intensity that would be replicated in a match. In the current situation, I can only achieve that by thinking that I am bowling in a match.”
Having so far featured in the limited overs format only,
Saini wants to work on expanding his repertoire.
“My forte is speed. So, variation becomes very important. Like how I would set up a particular batsman. How I can lure him into a mistake and surprise him with my speed. Another aspect is bowling long spells. Results may not come in one short spell, so I should be fit enough to bowl for a longer period,” said Saini.
“Maybe if there are some domestic matches before international cricket resumes for India, it would give me some valuable practice.”
Along with the attempt to bowl longer spells, Saini will have to learn to bowl without using saliva to shine the ball. “It does affect the shine of the ball. You could see that in the first Test between West Indies and England. If you ban an old method there will be disadvantages, but the advantage is that I have time to adjust. This is a new normal for all professions, same as ours.”
As for motivation to keep working hard, Saini always goes back to his debut against West Indies in a T20I last year in Lauderhill, USA. He took three for 17, the best figures by an Indian in the game.
“India won the game and I had a role to play in that. I was even awarded the Man of the Match. In my debut match, winning the best player’s award was special. I have never taken the help of any mental coach and I did not feel any pressure going into that match. And I don’t feel pressure now. Ultimately, it’s about making the best out of what I have got,” he said.