Ever wondered what a talent scout does before an IPL auction? John Wright says it’s about attending matches, looking past the scorecard, collating information from other players, and much more

Shashank Kishore05-Feb-20165:13

Who could be the surprise picks at the IPL 2016 auction?

John Wright is no stranger to India. He may have resigned as head coach of the national team in 2005, but just can’t keep away from the “game’s heart”. For three months a year, over the last two years, Wright, normally used to soaking in the summer sun back home in Christchurch, has been travelling across the length and breadth of India scouting for talent for Mumbai Indians, a job which he feels is “more relaxed and less intense” than coaching an IPL franchise.One such pit stop is Alur, an hour’s drive from central Bangalore, for the league stages of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the domestic 50-over competition. Wright has a notepad and a pen to mark his observations. “No laptop for a change,” he laughs, settling under one of the makeshift tents put up for a handful of scribes. Why here, when he can sit with the officials and selectors, asks one of the venue managers. “Away from the players,” he gestures, indicating he’s happy to be in the background, like he was for most parts during his time as India coach.Wright was appointed head coach of Mumbai Indians in 2013, when they achieved the IPL and Champions League T20 double. Two year later, he took charge of their talent scouting wing, while Ricky Ponting took over the top job. Since then, Wright has been running a feeder system that has helped the franchise narrow in on the best domestic talent in the country, even if they haven’t always been able to provide opportunities because of the presence of a plethora of stars.The notepad he has brought along looks like an encyclopedia, its pages clearly detailing players he’s impressed by. But sneaking a peek is not easy for he protects it with great care. It seems the diary is his major source of information about the players he’s watching. Every now and then, he glances up and jots down pointers. Ask him about cricket’s fascination with numbers, and there’s a chuckle, which turns into polite laughter, almost as if to say that’s not the way it should be.”The trick is to go beyond numbers, and report to the franchise what the scorecard won’t show,” he tells ESPNcricinfo. “You want to see if a player has got the X-factor. The challenges of the job are plenty, because unlike in the past where you could sign players outside the auction, here you need back-ups for every player you are keen on because auction dynamics demand that. So, over the last two years, as a franchise, we’ve worked towards lending that second eye to the owners so that we going into the auction well prepared.”Jasprit Bumrah, who made heads turn in Australia, is a case in point. Three years ago, the Gujarat pacer, all of 19 and with no first-class experience, was picked literally days before the IPL opener on the back of his performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the domestic T20 competition.John Wright has been at the forefront of Mumbai Indians’ efforts to plumb new talent•Mumbai IndiansBumrah had 10 wickets in nine matches but stood out, according to Wright, with his ability to bowl at the death and come away with an economy of 6.58. “Bowlers with unorthodox actions are easily noticeable,” Wright explains. “That’s what struck us first about Bumrah. Back then, not many in the IPL circles had heard about this kid. But there was something about his action and the momentum he generated just as he was about to deliver the ball.”Now, when you see someone, you know if he has got it or not. They may bat or bowl in a certain way, and you immediately feel it even if it may not reflect on the scorecard. And then we keep an eye on him, and if you’re near correct, you will see a performance along the way. There are two ways of going about it. There are those who stand out, who you may or may not get at the auction, and then there are those who you pick going by your gut feel. That’s what we did in his case.”Bumrah is just one of many examples. During the 2013-14 Irani Cup, a season that Karnataka dominated, Wright handpicked Shreyas Gopal, who took a hat-trick in his maiden first-class season. He was pocketed at base price, on the same day he took the hat-trick. Later that year, Wright earmarked Hardik Pandya after a sensational 57-ball 82 against a Mumbai side consisting Zaheer Khan, Dhawan Kulkarni and Pravin Tambe. J Suchith, who had played all of one match at the senior level for Karnataka, was picked on Harbhajan Singh’s recommendation soon after the Vijay Hazare Trophy final. Suchith’s Karnataka beat Harbhajan’s Punjab and the left-arm spinner claimed one wicket in eight economical overs.”The franchise values inputs from senior players and coaches. Like the players, we work in a team too,” Wright explains. “Harbhajan, for example, has returned to the domestic circuit, leading Punjab, and has seen a number of players come through. So he has passed on valuable inputs to our support staff group, which may seem huge, but the roles are well defined.”He pauses every time there is a four, six or a wicket, studying the mannerisms of the player in question. An outstanding stroke earns appreciation, a poor one gets a grimace and, as things settle down, he continues.”We’ve got Robin Singh as assistant coach, and he has coached a fair bit around the world, and he’s instrumental in a few signings. Ricky, obviously, has seen a lot of the Big Bash League and franchise cricket around the world. He then puts forward what he has seen. Shaun Pollock, when he was associated with the team, brought the South African flavour. So we’ve tried to build a good network, a good scouting network. Anil Kumble, when he was with the franchise, had a lot of work behind the scenes too.”‘There was something about his action and the momentum he generated just as he was about to deliver the ball’ – John Wright on Jasprit Bumrah•BCCILendl Simmons, top-scorer for Mumbai in 2014 after playing only eight games, was spotted thanks to this extensive network, which also includes Rahul Sanghvi. Based in Mumbai for most parts of the year, he keeps tabs on the uncapped players like Unmukt Chand, Sushanth Marathe, Apoorva Wankhede and Akshay Wakhare across tournaments such as the Times Shield and annual T20 corporate tournaments organised by Reliance in Navi Mumbai.Wright is quick to point out that while limited-overs format is their preferred choice when it comes to scouting, India’s improved first-class structure has added a new dimension, not just to their methods but to the mindset and attitude of young players. The rise in confidence, he says, is unmistakable particularly among cricketers from smaller centres.”The transformation in the domestic set-up here is unbelievably good, much different to when I came here first,” he points out. “The biggest improvement to me is the manner in which age-group cricket is run, despite the challenges of having the number of teams you do here, unlike in Australia or New Zealand. To have someone like Rahul Dravid mentoring the Under-19s is great too. I’m extremely impressed in the manner talent is streamlined here, especially with the focus shifting towards junior cricket and the A tours.”Maybe the improvement of infrastructure across the country has played a part too, because that many more people are benefitted. The byproduct of all these is the fearlessness you see among young players in the IPL. I know every franchise wants to have an edge. So we decided the best way to get that would be to go around the country, look for the best youngsters, invest in them and then reap the rewards later, even if it takes us time. We’re pleased to see a lot of them mature beyond their age.”As the match draws to a close, Wright’s notebook is firmly tucked into his bag as he prepares to leave. It makes you wonder if there’s enough in there for a sequel to . If he does decide to write another book, Wright seems well placed to capture the transformation of Indian cricket in its entirety over the last decade and a half.

ESPNcricinfo picks its best XI from the Asia Cup in Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam and Alagappan Muthu08-Mar-2016Rohit Sharma, India (138 runs at 27.60)
The opening position suits his style – slow starts but stormy finishes. India have known this all along, and that’s why they have never tried to fiddle with his position. Rohit’s failures against a charged-up Mohammad Amir and in the Asia Cup final would sting, but he has been one of the batsmen that have made India a strong limited-overs side since the start of the year.Soumya Sarkar, Bangladesh (94 runs at 18.80)
He struggled against India in the tournament opener, but slowly got into his groove and launched some sumptuous flicks and pulls against Pakistan. He was well set for his maiden T20I fifty, but for a magnificent Mohammad Amir yorker. Soumya’s aggression makes him a key player for Bangladesh in the upcoming World T20 in India.Virat Kohli, India (153 runs at 76.50)
The batting leader in the India side. He likes imposing himself on the opposition, but recently has shown that he can sit tight if needed. He did just that, despite emotions running high and the Pakistan attack running rampant, to make a match-winning 49. The fact that he hasn’t hit any sixes in the tournament but is among the highest run-getters speaks about how well he knows his game.Sabbir Rahman, Bangladesh (176 runs runs at 44.00)
He has been tasked with the No. 3 slot for a few months to add some X-factor to the batting line-up. Sabbir had done well against Zimbabwe in January, but it was his 54-ball 80 against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup that proved that he was the right candidate to bat at the top of the order. Sabbir may have to curb some leg-side swings, but is expected to stick to his role.Shoaib Malik, Pakistan (121 runs at 60.50)
His return to the Pakistan team last year was a surprise, but his success since then has been less so. A steady presence in the middle order, capable of minimising dot balls with singles and twos at least, Malik seems to be slipping into the role Misbah-ul-Haq was often tasked with. In a dismal Asia Cup campaign for his team, he averaged 60.50.Mahmudullah, Bangladesh (121 runs at 121.00)
Having redefined himself as a top-order batsman in ODIs, Mahmudullah adjusted and then excelled as a finisher in the Asia Cup. In each game of the round-robin stage, Mahmudullah came to Bangladesh’s rescue. His best display came against Pakistan, his cameo helping the hosts seal a tense chase.Mohammad Amir unleashed a fiery spell against India•AFPMS Dhoni (capt & wk) India, (42 runs; 6 catches, 1 stumping)
He faced only 15 balls in the entire tournament, but had 42 runs against his name and was never once dismissed. By virtue of pushing himself down the order, he gave Yuvraj Singh and Hardik Pandya some time in the middle before the World T20. Dhoni’s ability to manage a team and look at various angles makes him a shoo-in as captain too.Amjad Javed, UAE (12 wickets at 14.08)
Uses every bit of his height and generates just enough extra bounce to compensate for his middling pace. Javed’s control of line was also impressive and his spell against Pakistan was so good that Waqar Younis admitted things were a bit “scary” in the opposition camp. He took three-fors against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and ultimately finished as the leading wicket-taker.Mohammad Amir, Pakistan (7 wickets at 11.57)
His fiery spells offered Pakistan some consolation in an otherwise disappointing campaign. Amir rattled India with pace and swing after the Pakistan batsmen faltered. The fast bowler then nearly won Pakistan their must-win clash against Bangladesh. Coach Waqar Younis was impressed with Amir’s progress and said: “The way he swung the ball, the pace, the length, it was outstanding.”Al-Amin Hossain, Bangladesh (11 wickets at 12.18)
He was Bangladesh’s most consistent performer with the ball, mainly getting the job done at the death overs. He claimed back-to-back three-fors against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. His yorkers will keep Bangladesh in good stead heading into the World T20.Jasprit Bumrah, India (6 wickets at 15.66)
The unusual action, an ability to move the ball both ways, and those stump-stirring yorkers make him an attractive package. At 22 years, he was even able to withstand the pressure of bowling the last over of Bangladesh’s innings in the Asia Cup final and allowed only seven runs off it.

Plays of the day from the World T20 match between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Kolkata

Mohammad Isam and Alagappan Muthu26-Mar-2016Something to remember me byDebutants would want to make good first impressions on their captains. Henry Nicholls, though, took it a little too far. Playing his first T20I, looking for his second boundary, he strode confidently down the track and smacked one at Kane Williamson at the non-striker’s end. The magic spray was needed, some ointment and a bandage wrapped around the left elbow for good measure. If Nicholls was fretting about his captain’s mobility though, Williamson allayed those fears by extending that left elbow up to the sky while hitting a pristine cover drive in the fifth over.Williamson spins one off the batIn the ninth over, Williamson managed to blast Mustafizur Rahman over the in-field to the cover boundary. Tamim Iqbal was running in from wide long-off but just when the ball pitched on the practice wickets, it showed that every playing surface at Eden Gardens has spin and bounce. The ball turned sharply away from Tamim, and went for four.The 1-2-3But the next three balls belonged to Mustafizur, who basically played with Williamson despite the New Zealand captain being quite settled at the crease. In the three-ball combination that led to Williamson’s dismissal, Mustafizur first beat him with a slower off-cutter that fizzed past Williamson’s attempt to hit the ball straight. Next, Mustafizur bowled a fast cutter that zoomed past a slanted bat that tried to squeeze it past point. Finally, Mustafizur aimed at the stumps despite Williamson moving towards the off side. It was another slower ball which struck the off stump.The helpMustafizur did not need much help with his five wickets (four batsmen were bowled) but for his fourth, Shuvagata Hom helped him out with a stunning take. He ran back at least 10 yards from mid-on after Grant Elliott skied another slower ball, before diving full-length and completing the catch. It was great judgment from Shuvagata, who saw Mustafizur as the first to congratulate him.The anti-climaxHaving bowled Mitchell Santner and Nathan McCullum off consecutive deliveries in the last over, Mustafizur faced yet another hat-trick opportunity. But Mitchell McClenaghan, who walked in to huge cheers building up for the hat-trick ball, ensured that there was no fairytale ending. McClenaghan slammed that delivery for a huge six over long-on – not a bad way to hit your first six in T20Is.The continuing bad luck
It seemed a perfectly mild seam up delivery from Grant Elliot to Mushfiqur Rahim in the 11th over. But the ball swerved away just enough to beat the batsman’s outside edge and strike the off-stump. Only the wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi had some idea of what had happened as Elliott looked more dumbfounded than Mushfiqur. Walking back to the dugout, Mushfiqur re-enacted the delivery and shook his head. After his troubles in Bangalore, he bagged a duck in Kolkata.

Sam Billings had to wait until April 30 to make his IPL debut, but his 54 off 34 balls showed he’d been soaking up every opportunity with team-mates and management staff before then to enhance his game

Arun Venugopal in Rajkot02-May-2016When you enter the restaurant inside the Imperial Palace Hotel in Rajkot, it looks like a mini-Delhi Daredevils picnic is in progress. Booming voices are heard from the far corner – they belong to Mohammed Shami and Imran Tahir, who are taking turns at telling Rishabh Pant funny anecdotes.Sanju Samson, Karun Nair and Shreyas Iyer, seated a few tables away, are having a relatively quieter time but the jokes are flowing there as well. Shreyas smiles impishly while discussing his hairstyle, pointing out how too much hair has grown over his star-shaped cut at the back of his head. This is fun. It takes slightly longer to figure out there is work in progress too.Rahul Dravid and Paddy Upton – mentor and head coach respectively of Delhi Daredevils – are seated behind a large table and conducting what looks like campus recruitments. Karun, Carlos Braithwaite and Samson show up at the table one after the other, and each is greeted with pleasant smiles and enquiries about their well-being. The conversation thereafter is inaudible but Sam Billings, the English wicketkeeper-batsman, says it’s not much more than “just talking”. However, the impact of a little bonding over such chit chat is “amazing”.”In this environment with a lot of new faces, they don’t necessarily know you as a bloke, but it’s about getting to build that relationship, which will obviously help on the field,” Billings says. “I know it sounds simple, but it’s really not more complex than that. It’s amazing what a chat can do in terms of changing your frame of mind, whether it’s on a technical issue, or even a mental issue about the game.”Billings is as much in awe of Dravid the person as Dravid the cricketer. He proudly reminds you that Dravid has in the past played for Kent, the county side Billings turns out for.”He is just a great human to talk to, and him and Paddy have created an environment where – obviously we have got a lot of young, inexperienced players – [you have the freedom] to play your natural game, which is invaluable,” he said.Most of his tutelage under Dravid, he says, has been about the mental side of things, but technically, too, there have been significant takeaways.”For most guys, [it is learning from Dravid] to have that mental robustness to be able to bat for long periods of time, to read the game – when you have got to sit in for a little bit and when to attack,” he says. “It’s more picking his brains about the tempo in the innings, especially in four-day cricket as well.”As an example, I focus on the on-drive – because if I am batting well, that will be going well, nice and straight and balance would be good. [Dravid] said, ‘That’s really good but why not try batting at the other end with the bowlers’ footmarks and have exactly the same shots. Every single detail of your technique has to be under scrutiny otherwise you are not going to hit the ball.’ So it’s quite interesting.”Billings launched his IPL career by smashing a 34-ball 54 against Kolkata Knight Riders, with 40 of those runs coming against spinners, mostly via sweeps and inside-out shots. He admits to using the time at Daredevils to try and sharpen his craft against spin bowling.”We’ve had little group sessions [at our] second ground in Delhi where we have three players every day that go out and practice against spin,” he says. “We have net bowlers and some of our spinners come and bowl. And because there’s only three of you, you have as much time as you need and want essentially. So, it’s brilliant.”Billings says the environment in the team helps establish lasting friendships without anybody losing his competitive edge. “I’ve come into this IPL with a very open mind. I always thought I might not play a game, but out of the six weeks I’m here, it will be impossible not to improve as a player as long as I’ve got the right work ethic.”You learn from Chris Morris how to hit the ball out of the park, Carlos Brathwaite … and also talking to guys like Amit Mishra and how he thinks he’s going to get me out. It’s a very hungry, young group of players. There’s friendly rivalries and everyone wants to kind of keep improving to get ahead of the next guy. Just batting from the other end you are not just learning from [Dravid] you are learning from these other local Indian players, like Karun Nair.”I’ve spent a lot of time with Karun Nair and Sanju Samson off the field and get on very well with both those guys. Obviously when running between the wickets you need that kind of understanding. You build friendships. [Brathwaite and me] play FIFA in our hotel room so every now and then that ‘Champion’ dance comes out when he wins. Ultimately, you play this game for 15 years and you want to have friends all over the world at the end of it.”

ESPNcricinfo recalls some of the best knocks in Kane Williamson’s record set of Test centuries

Firdose Moonda in Bulawayo07-Aug-20161:08

Williamson completes the set

In his 50th Test match and a day short of 26 years old, Kane Williamson completed a full set of centuries against all nine other Test playing nations. He is the youngest player to achieve the feat, the 13th overall and only the second among the current crop of internationals, after Younis Khan.Having already celebrated three of the innings that contributed to Williamson’s rise – his debut century against India in Ahmedabad, a subcontinental success in Sri Lanka and getting his name on the Lord’s honours board – ESPNcricinfo now takes an in-depth look at Williamson’s full house. 102* v South Africa, Wellington 2012 Coming into the third Test of the series at 1-0 down, New Zealand were 83 for 5, chasing 389. South Africa were on the hunt for a second win and their attack was throwing everything at them. But nothing would dislodge Williamson. He survived a close call on 7, when a catch was not given, was dropped on 10 and 22, and then had to resist a rampant Morne Morkel, who hit him several times. Williamson saw out a session and a half with the tail, scored the only century by a home batsman in the series and secured the draw. Brendon McCullum said it would go down in New Zealand cricket history as one of the “gutsier and more fighting efforts,” of its time.Getting on top of South Africa: Kane Williamson’s fourth-innings century earned New Zealand a heroic draw in Wellington•Getty Images 114 v Bangladesh, Chittagong 2013 With centuries in Ahmedabad and Colombo, Williamson’s ability in subcontinental conditions had already been proved and he merely underlined that in this innings. Against a Bangladesh attack with five specialist bowlers and several spin options, Williamson dominated from the first ball he faced but was equally adept at adjusting to defence. His back-foot play was the hallmark of this knock, with delicate dabs, drives and cut, which allowed him to assert himself on the hosts. 113 v India, Auckland 2014 In their own backyard, New Zealand slipped to 30 for 3 in the first innings, before Williamson and McCullum got together to add 221 in a stirring rescue effort in which they scored at more than four runs an over. On a grassy surface, under overcast skies, Williamson was not just calm but aggressive early on. He maneuvered the ball into gaps, forcing MS Dhoni to spread the field. He had a lifeline on 32 when an edge was not taken and went on to hook Mohammad Shami and Zaheer Khan for six in a race to his century, which came off 138 balls. New Zealand ultimately won that match by 40 runs and won the series 1-0. 161* v West Indies, Bridgetown 2014 After scoring a century in New Zealand’s first Test victory in Jamaica, Williamson went even bigger in the decider in Barbados. New Zealand conceded a first-innings deficit of 24 runs and were 56 for 2 in their second innings before Williamson anchored New Zealand into a position of authority. Against spin on a tricky surface, Williamson’s footwork allowed him to negotiate through tricky periods and his patience paid off. The bowlers eventually deferred to his strengths and runs came in the areas he enjoys scoring in – behind square on the offside and through midwicket. Williamson’s 161 not out allowed New Zealand to set West Indies a target of 308, which proved enough for them to win their first series away from home against a top-eight nation in 12 years.Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson added 297, which underpinned New Zealand’s record total of 690 in Sharjah•Getty Images 192 v Pakistan, Sharjah, November 2014 A rare lean patch saw Williamson struggle in the first two matches of New Zealand’s tour of the UAE but he made up for it in the third. While Brendon McCullum smashed the then fourth-fastest double century in Tests, Williamson played second fiddle but only just. He charged at the spinners, dismissed short balls with characteristic back-foot dominance, brought out plenty of short-arm pulls, and dealt with reverse-swing. Perhaps most impressive in his showing was the restraint Williamson showed in the immediate aftermath of Phillip Hughes’ death. Although never hugely emotional, Williamson was even less so despite what he was achieving. He fell eight runs short of a double ton but helped New Zealand to an innings-and-80-run victory, which saw them square the series. 242* v Sri Lanka, Wellington, January 2015 Williamson only had to wait just over a month for his first double, and it was a sweet one. New Zealand conceded a 135-run first innings deficit against Sri Lanka and then slipped to 79 for 3 in their second innings. This meant that they needed a big effort to avoid sharing the series spoils. Enter Williamson. He switched gears from a cautious first hundred, in which he was dropped on 29 and 60, to an attacking second one – although he was reprieved again on 104 – which helped New Zealand set Sri Lanka a target of 390. In the process, Williamson put on 365 with BJ Watling, the highest sixth-wicket stand for New Zealand. The hosts won the series and McCullum lauded Williamson, predicting he could become “New Zealand’s greatest ever batter.”Kane Williamson hit 113 in Bulawayo and joined the elite club of batsmen with tons against all nine other Test countries•ESPNcricinfo Ltd 132 v England, Lord’s May 2015 England racked up 389 in the first innings of Williamson’s second Lord’s match but he was not to be outdone. Martin Guptill and Tom Latham laid the foundation with a century opening stand and Williamson built on that in signature style. His innings was an execution in elegance and timing, laced with delicate drives and steers to a vacant third man area. He pushed the scoring rate towards four to the over and went to 92 overnight before having his name inscribed on the honours board the next day. New Zealand took a first-innings lead of 134 runs but it was not enough for them to win the match. 140 v Australia, Brisbane, November 2015 If New Zealand had started to think they were coming out of the shadows of their geographical big brother Australia because of recent gains, David Warner and Usman Khawaja showed them they had not. They scored aggressive centuries in the opening match in Brisbane as Australia declared on 556 for 4. New Zealand’s only answer was Williamson. He was the only batsmen to get a score above 50 and went on to almost triple his returns. He scored 68% of his runs in boundaries, picking gaps well, and complimented his cut shot with the leg-side paddle. He saved New Zealand from the follow-on but could not cushion them from defeat. 113 v Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, August 2016 In his first series as Test captain Williamson announced himself with 91 in the opening match and went one better in the next. On a flat Queens surface against an attack with neither express pace nor mystery spin, this may have been the least Williamson was challenged on his way to three figures but it still required the right mindset. Without underestimating his opposition, Williamson applied himself patiently to the task, took his time on a slow, low surface and worked his way towards a full set of centuries.

Two Royal Challengers Bangalore insiders explain the method behind the mad numbers

Sidharth Monga06-Jun-20162:35

Iain O’Brien, Dirk Nannes, Ajit Agarkar and Daryll Cullinan discuss what’s made Virat Kohli’s IPL this year so fantastic

Over seven weeks, across eight cities, against seven different bowling attacks in varied conditions (at one point playing nine matches in three weeks), Virat Kohli scored 973 runs at an average of 81.03 and a strike rate of 152.03 in this IPL. These are freakishly staggering numbers. They go against the grain of the format. This is consistency unheard of, almost undreamt.The fickleness of the T20 format is such that it is still up for debate whether such freakish batting is less desirable than three big hitters sharing the duties between them and in the process striking at a higher rate. In the two big tournaments this year – the IPL and the World T20 – eventually the big hitting trumped the contributions of batsmen seeking perfection. This tussle of style will make for interesting viewing in the leagues to come, but Kohli’s amazing consistency is worth looking back at. After all, for eight IPL seasons before this one, no one had managed an aggregate of over 750. Kohli battered it in one go.Two men who worked with Kohli at Royal Challengers Bangalore are not surprised by his numbers. Trent Woodhill, the team’s batting coach, and Ed Smith, a former England batsman, now a sportswriter, who worked as a consultant to the franchise in the lead-up to this IPL, watched Kohli prepare and knew he was going to do something special this season.

“Virat Kohli was in that special place that a very few athletes get into at some point in their careers, where they are at the peak of their competitiveness, they are phenomenally fit, and their determination is exceptional”Ed Smith

As cricket gets shorter, it is now more frequently compared with other sports, and Woodhill and Smith have no hesitation in putting Kohli in the bracket of prime athletes like Novak Djokovic in tennis.To break Kohli’s feat down technically, to understand how it came about, is difficult for an outsider, but these two close-in observers saw a man at the peak of his fitness, competitiveness, mental health and technique.Woodhill’s explanation for Kohli’s mind-boggling consistency is simple. “He has trained himself to repeat.”What I mean by that is that before going out into the match, he is playing the same game. It’s not like he is trying to play a certain way and then can’t repeat that. When he wants to hit the ball to a certain area, he is not thinking how he is doing it technically. He is just repeating. He is seeing the opportunity and taking that opportunity.

“It’s the whole holistic channel. From his diet to his fitness to how he prepares for his innings is the same every time. So the consistency is there. The fitness is there, so he can physically do what he wants to do. Mechanics are sound, so he is able to mechanically perform the way he wants to perform. Because he is stronger and fitter, he doesn’t have to manufacture shots. Now when he is hitting the ball aerial, they are landing ten metres beyond the rope.”He is not fighting physics or mechanics. Himself and Davey Warner were consistent because day in day out they had the physical attributes needed to back up the mechanical structure they had put in place over a period of time.”Physical fitness, according to Woodhill, is what separates Kohli, Warner and AB de Villiers from the others.”What I have found out about Virat, through [Shankar] Basu, our fitness coach, and through Virat, is that because of his complete determination to be the best, he is physically at the top of his game. There is no one more physically fit than Virat. There are people as good. Davey Warner, for example. But no one better.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”Others are willing to do it a little bit. Kohli and Warner train harder in all aspects of their life than others do. You can’t just decide you are going to bat four hours a day and be the best batsman in the world. You have to put it all together.”Virat is a complete player. He is not fighting anything that is not natural. The beauty of him and Davey is that they are not interested in what other people think of their mechanics. They are just looking to repeat what they do day in day out. That’s the first part of the journey. Every time you hit a cricket ball, it has to be with the mechanics you are able to repeat.”It sounds like a simplistic way to explain such a low-risk approach to T20 batting, one that has given Kohli so much time at the wicket. But perhaps the knowledge that he can now hit sixes if he commits fully to an aerial shot, that he can runs twos when the ball has only travelled as far as the 30-yard circle, means that he rarely goes slow, and doesn’t have to play low-percentage shots when he does fall behind the pace.Consistency of preparation has brought consistency of results. “The big thing about AB, Warner and Virat is that they take their techniques out of play,” Woodhill says. “They commit 100% to every ball of every game, practice session and pre-match warm-up, so the finished product looks so pure and refined when really they’re only doing what they have done from a young age.”Woodhill is a batting coach who likes to undersell technique. He says Kohli has not had to work on his technique too much to find this consistency, but over the last two years he has made changes. He widened his stance and stood outside the crease after his failure in England in 2014; in 2015 he worked out that this adjustment was taking the cut shot out of his batting, so he narrowed it a little. He still doesn’t play the orthodox cut, but he has found a way around bowlers bowling short of a length and wide to him.

“The beauty of Kohli and Davey is that they are not interested in what other people think of their mechanics. They are just looking to repeat what they do day in day out”Trent Woodhill

When Kohli came to Royal Challengers this season, he was supremely confident of his technique. He came with knowledge that he didn’t have any weaknesses.Smith says that confidence was palpable. “One of the very striking things was the determination, aura and readiness of Virat Kohli to have a great series.”I don’t think any of us could have guessed quite how good, but it was clear – and this is not being wise after the event – that he was in that special place that very few athletes get into at some point in their careers, where they are at the peak of their competitiveness, they are phenomenally fit, and their determination is exceptional. Technique is in a good place. It was the coming together of all those factors. Body, mind, technique, mentality.”In terms of total commitment in every aspect of his life to excellence on the field, it reminded me of Djokovic. In terms of taking this total game to new heights. All those things about Virat manifested themselves very quickly, the way he approached preparation and training before the IPL.”This confidence can only come from knowing that your game is in such a good place that on most occasions only you can beat yourself.”A lot of it is inbuilt,” Woodhill says. “The Messis, the Ronaldos, the Nadals, the Federers, the Lebron Jameses, they make sure they are at the top of their game to compete with so many good sportsmen. The day they don’t give 100% to their preparation, they give the opponent an opportunity. Kohli and Warner worked it out that if they have complete commitment to what they think they do best, it is really hard to have weakness.”Kohli’s commitment to being in peak physical condition has been one of the reasons for his phenomenal success•BCCIWoodhill sees no weakness in the games of Kohli and Warner right now. Smith saw no way in which Kohli could fail in this IPL. “If you asked me what could stand in the way of Virat doing well, I would have struggled to have come up with any answers,” he says.”What could stop someone of that ability from performing very well? Perhaps their technique is slightly off. Perhaps their determination is slightly down. Perhaps their motivation is waning. Perhaps their fitness is just a bit down – whether it is injury or something catching up. Those are the questions. None of them was at all likely to keep him from succeeding. I just couldn’t see anything that was going to stop him. I think the clarity, above all else, of his mind and of his game is just extreme. I saw someone very, very clear in his own mind that he was going to succeed and quite certain that he had the ability to do it.”In Kohli, Smith saw a man who knew this was his time.”I have been around a few great sportsmen in cricket and other sports. It is very inspiring and thrilling to see someone grab his moment. That’s what I think he has done. The recognition that he could do something special, the knowledge that everything is in place, the commitment to doing it, the conviction with which he approached this moment, is exceptional.”An opposition coach was once asked after an NBA final series if he was surprised at what Michael Jordan had done. ‘Surprised? No,’ he said. ‘Amazed? Yes.’ That is very much how I felt about watching Kohli.”

Plays of the day from the first ODI between Pakistan and West Indies in Sharjah

Deivarayan Muthu30-Sep-2016The first-ballerAzhar Ali’s leadership has been under the scanner since Pakistan’s 4-1 ODI series loss in England. He was reportedly asked to step down from captaincy to focus on his batting. However an unlikely lifeline, even if he didn’t expect it, came his way as those in the corridors of power couldn’t take a decision in the absence of PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan, who was away on leave to recuperate from a heart surgery.The pressure, it seems, may have only mounted on Azhar after he nicked behind off the first ball, a 145kph Shannon Gabriel thunderbolt that snaked away off the seam after pitching on a fourth-stump line. Azhar, having been opened up, simply wafted at that good-length delivery, and watched it settle into the gloves of Denesh Ramdin before slowly trudging off.The ‘V’The leg side for Sharjeel Khan is perhaps the cricketing equivalent of Sheldon Cooper’s spot. He peppers that region with short-arm jabs, whips and muscular pulls. It seemed like West Indies were in with a plan to prevent Sharjeel from skipping into his ‘spot’. The seamers hardly offered anything on middle-and-leg stumps, and instead tested Sharjeel outside off. He was initially perturbed by the early seam movement, but burst out of his comfort zone with a brace of scything drives over mid-off in the fifth over, bowled by Gabriel. Sharjeel then shovelled Carlos Brathwaite over wide long-on for six, his first leg-side boundary, at the end of the ninth over. Four balls later, Jason Holder was subjected to the same treatment.The stunning catchWhen Azam whipped Carlos Brathwaite over the top, the ball seemed destined to fly over the wide long-on boundary…. until Kieron Pollard used every inch of his 1.96 metre frame and plucked the ball out of thin air. Pollard took flight, and grabbed the ball with an outstretched right hand. But he was wary of the momentum taking him over the ad skirting, and thus tossed the ball back into the field of play. Pollard then reclaimed his balance and the catch. He deserved to take a bow for the sequence, which was just what he did, although in an angry manner.The reviewSulieman Benn beat Babar Azam’s inside edge and struck the pad with an arm-ball. Umpire Ahsan Raza shot down the lbw appeal, but Holder insisted on a review. The impact was in line with the stumps, but Hawk-Eye showed that the ball would carry on to hit the top of the stumps, probably because of the extra bounce Benn was extracting with his tall frame. The new zone of impact had been extended either side of the stumps by 1.6 cms, up to the edge, but anything on height still pointed to umpire’s call. S Ravi, the TV umpire, examined several replays before the on-field umpire’s call was upheld. Henderson Springer, West Indies’ interim coach, seemed to be having an intense chat about the review with the fourth umpire during the drinks interval, but the right call had been made.The mix-upCarlos Brathwaite bowled a cutter which Sarfraz Ahmed gently dabbed back in front of middle stump. Azam, seeing his partner take a few steps forward, responded and was nearly halfway down the pitch when Carlos Brathwaite ran in and collected the ball. While Sarfraz turned the single down, leaving Azam stranded, the bowler spun back and had all three stumps to aim at, but missed.Wahab’s 1-2 in vainWahab Riaz unleashed a fiery bouncer angling away outside off, and had Benn awkwardly ducking his head out of the way, in the 36th over of the chase. In the process, Benn’s spectacles popped out of the grille and fell on the floor. The next ball was a pinpoint yorker that shot through the defences of Benn and crashed onto the stumps. But Wahab’s front foot had strayed, close-ups suggesting that his foot was on the line. Talk about ecstasy quickly giving way to agony.

08-Oct-2016New Zealand lost their third consecutive toss, but had early success when Jeetan Patel snuffed out M Vijay•BCCIGautam Gambhir, replacing Shikhar Dhawan, marked his return to Test cricket with confidence, and raced away with consecutive sixes against Matt Henry•BCCIHe looked especially comfortable against spin in an assured second-wicket stand with Cheteshwar Pujara•BCCIHowever, Trent Boult beat Gambhir’s inside-edge and rapped him on the pads for 29•BCCIPujara and Virat Kohli then took India to 75 for 2 at lunch•BCCIPujara resumed confidently after the break, before he fell to a ripper from Mitchell Santner that took out his off stump•Associated PressBut Virat Kohli moved his feet well and held firm in the midst of a testing spell from the New Zealand spinners. In the company of Ajinkya Rahane, he steered India to 148 for 3 at tea•BCCIKohli raised his half-century soon after the break with a neat drive through covers•BCCIRahane was on the receiving end of short balls throughout his stay•BCCIBut he hung on and when the full ones came, he put them away en route to his 10th Test fifty•BCCIKohli scampered through for a single and beat a direct throw at the non-striker’s end to raise his 13th Test century•AFPThe Kohli-Rahane partnership realised 167 unbeaten runs, and took India to 267 for 3 when stumps were drawn•AFP

Matthew Engel’s tribute to boyhood hero Colin Milburn

11-Nov-2016I ought to remember where I was when the news came, as with Kennedy’s assassination or the outbreak of war. But I have no recollection. It was May 23, 1969, and I must have been doing my A-levels. The details of those have been successfully blotted out of my mind since then. The accident in which Colin Milburn lost his left eye and his career must have been thrown out with them.

I do remember that the sinking-in process took longer than usual. Most of us were fooled a little: by inapt comparisons with Pataudi, who played on with his right eye gone; by the wave of hopeful Press coverage from the hospitals; by Colin’s own quite outstanding bravery. I also remember feeling that if so freakish an injury (why couldn’t he just have broken a leg like normal people, for Heaven’s sake?) could end his career, then it was the saddest possible news for English cricket. Milburn might not have been the greatest cricketer of his generation, but he was, beyond question, the cricketer we could least afford to lose. And we lost him.

I was not and am still not an unbiased observer. Insofar as I ever grew up, I grew up, between bouts of boarding school, in Northampton in the 1960s. The Northants side of 1969 was not only good – we had the best and most exciting young batsman in England. What’s more, he was a friend of mine. Well, more like a friend of a friend actually. But he would recognise me and pass the time of day and take an interest. It even fell to Colin to coach me at the Easter nets, which he did without losing his temper. I realised later that he was friends with pretty well everyone in Northampton. That turned out to be one of his problems.

Colin had arrived via County Durham because Ken Turner, Northants’ secretary, had offered him 10 shillings a week more than Warwickshire. This transaction achieved slightly more notice than the acquisition of most young batsmen: Colin had achieved a sort of public notice as a 17-year-old schoolboy when he made 101 for Durham against the 1959 Indians. He even got a special mention in the Editor’s Notes in the 1960 . He was, as put it, `a well-built lad’ or, to put it another way, fat.

He had always been a tubby boy. In the cold winter of 1963, just as he was becoming established as a county player, he fought against it furiously and went down from 18 stone to nearer 16. Thereafter, though his weight was a regular talking point every April, I think it bothered him less. I often wonder how he might have batted had he slimmed down to fit the popular perception of what a cricketer should look like.

So often all his tonnage went into the shot. Yet I don’t think there was anything essentially unconventional about his batting. Memory does odd tricks. I remember the crashing hook, of course; I remember the booming drive, hit most often past a helpless cover point; yet in the mind’s eye I can most easily recall that great bulk leaning forward, ever so correctly, to prod away a ball he did not fancy. The difference between him and everyone else was that he would hit a 50-50 ball that anyone else would leave or block, and hit it with immense force. Not every time. There is another potent memory: his return to the old and grubby Northampton pavilion, red-faced and as near as he ever got to angry, after a daft nick to first slip when a single figures. For us kids, the day moved on to a lower plane. But the good days were electric, and if he got past 20, he rarely stopped before 70.

Years later, after the accident, I umpired a village benefit match in which he thumped harmless bowling all over the place for about an hour and I was able to watch at close quarters the visible signs of how he made up his mind what to hit. It occurred to me then that his secret had not been his bulk, nor his technique, nor even the quickness of his poor, damned eyes but the speed of his reflexes. How else could an 18-stone near-non-runner come to break the Northants catching record, which he did, in 1964, with 43 catches, almost all at pre-helmet short leg?

Those reflexes were never infallible. Nor was his judgment, and sometimes the good days were well spaced out. In 1965, he went into the final match still short of his 1000. Gloucestershire were at the County Ground and Northants needed to win to be champions. It rained on the first and last days, and the fact that Milburn made 152 not out in 3 ½ hours to get his 1000 made no difference whatsoever, except to soothe the pain. And the county still have not been champions.

But the blazing three-year summer of Colin Milburn’s life was just about to start. The following year was the one in which many Championship matches had their first innings restricted to 65 overs. It was one of those early, faltering attempts to enliven the three-day game in response to the success of the Gillette Cup. Colin did not need livening up, but the system suited him very nicely. He began 1966 with two centuries in his first three innings, scored 64 for MCC against the West Indians, then made 171 at Leicester with Alec Bedser watching. On the Sunday he was in the Test team. D’Oliveira was also in the 12 for the first time (though on that occasion he did not play) and I remember being hurt and puzzled by the `Hello Dolly’ headlines. Milburn did play and soon was being overshadowed by no-one.

Nine Test matches – that’s all he had time for. He changed four beyond recognition, though it is true that England did not win any of them: a lively but chancy 94 as England went down to that very strong West Indian team, with Sobers, Hall and all, at Old Trafford on his debut; the 126 not out in the next Test at Lord’s to save the game (only Colin would a game by scoring an even-time century); the amazing, fighting 83 at Lord’s against the 1968 Australians on a bad wicket; and the final 139 at Karachi the following year.

There would have been time for more, but the selectors kept dropping him. Barely a month after the 126 he was gone. He failed at Trent Bridge, then made 71 for once out at Headingley, but he was gone the next week along with Cowdrey, the captain, and half his team to make way for the Brian Close era. In that wonderfully vengeful mood that brings out the best in some cricketers, Milburn went to play for Northants at Clacton and scored 203 not out – a century before lunch, another before tea, and a new county first-wicket record with Prideaux. That year, Ollie was the first to 1000, scored the fastest century, hit the most sixes, and only missed 2000 because of a broken finger. There was no tour for him to be left out of, so he spent his first happy winter playing for Western Australia.

He played in two Tests in 1967, but his best score was 40 at Edgbaston. Nonetheless he scored the fastest century of the summer (78 minutes this time, four minutes quicker than the previous year) and was picked to go to West Indies. When he got there, he started slowly, lost out to Edrich for the First Test, and became a spare part.

It was clear that some influential people did not regard Milburn as a business cricketer. After his Lord’s 83 the next year ended in a catch on the midwicket boundary, one of the selectors commented sourly, `What a way to get out.’ He was injured after that and did not return until the Oval-D’Oliveira-Underwood-mopping-up Test, after which he was left out of the South African tour party. Since someone else was also left out, Milburn again found himself overshadowed by D’Oliveira, and there are plenty of people around who still believe Milburn’s omission was the dafter.

But the curious thing was that Milburn had plenty of detractors in Northampton as well. He had loads of friends. In some cases the same people were in both categories. The County Ground crowds, such as they are, on both the football and cricket sides have long had a fairly well-deserved reputation for sourness. I think the town was much happier when 1965 was over and its team stopped all this winning nonsense; we could all go back to being happily miserable again. And much of the moaning was at Milburn. There was something not right about all that boozy joviality. Why couldn’t he settle down and live and play boringly like you are supposed to do? And poor old Ollie did not seem able to shut them all up by going out and playing one of his really great innings. They always seemed to come somewhere else, somewhere exotic like Lord’s or Clacton. Northampton had to be content with some very, very good ones.

Perhaps the greatest of all came that November, even further away. On a fearsomely humid day at Brisbane, Milburn went out to open the batting. At lunch he was 61 not out and, rather out of character, complaining; there was so much sweat seeping through his gloves that he could hardly grip the bat. After lunch, the weather cooled a fraction; Milburn went berserk. In the two-hour afternoon session he scored 181. Even Bradman never approached that. He was out the over after tea for 243 and apologised to his team-mates.

He was on a Perth beach with (so the story goes, and it is almost certainly true) a couple of birds and a good many beers when, three months later, he got the message that England needed him to reinforce the party for the substitute tour of Pakistan. It is generally held among cricketers that Perth is a better place to be than Dacca, and the feeling among the England party at that stage of the tour was, by all accounts, that they should fly out to join Milburn rather than the other way round. But he flew in via one of the most convoluted routes in the history of aviation, and the team summoned up enough energy to give him a guard of honour at the airport and con him into believing that there was no room at the Intercontinental with the other lads and so he would have to stay in a dosshouse next to a swamp.

His very presence brightened the tour. When they moved to Karachi for the final Test, Milburn was picked and played his last, biggest and probably greatest Test innings, 139 on a dead slow mud pitch. As at Northampton, as with the England selectors, he was not wholly appreciated – the crowd were too busy rioting to take much interest. But, as the game was abandoned after the gates were smashed by the crowd, it was generally agreed that whatever else had gone wrong for English cricket that winter – and pretty well everything had – at least Milburn had now emerged as a genuine Test batsman, and not just a slogger.

Sunday League begins

The summer of 1969 marked the start of the Sunday League which, genuine Test batsman or not, might have been designed for Milburn’s personal use. He began the season with 158 against Leicestershire and played his part in a Northants win over the West Indians. His selection for the First Test was now not even a matter for discussion. And then it happened.

I was a schoolboy still and cannot be certain that all the smiling pictures were not just a front for the camera. But the sister-in-charge said his manner never changed in his 11 days in hospital; the hospital management committee singled him out in their annual report (`his infectious good humour and indomitable spirit raised morale throughout the hospital’) and in the years that followed I failed to glimpse whatever sadness lurked behind the mask.

Colin Milburn spent a good deal of the time (too much, said all Northampton) after his accident in his old corner spot at the bar of the Abingdon Park Hotel, always with a happy group, in shadow, but obviously not in sadness. Then, quietly and suddenly, he left Northampton and returned to County Durham. There were still booze and birds but no marriage and, for a man past 40, no obvious purpose. He did this and that. He went to the odd London do. He still smiled. We still chatted. He almost found his on radio. His occasional commentaries were shrewd and funny and generous, because he did not believe no-one else could play. His indomitable spirit did not only raise morale at the hospital; it lit up my youth.

MS Dhoni’s quips and one-liners

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2017If I tell everyone what it is, then they (CSK) won’t buy me at the auctions. It’s a trade secret.Dhoni tight-lipped on the secret behind CSK qualifying for the playoffs at will.I won’t count it as a bad performance. It was so bad that I can’t count it as a performance.
MS Dhoni usually didn’t mince his words after a poor display.You can convert 1.8 runs or 1.9 runs into twos, but not 1.75 or 1.7.
Some calculations from one of the best runners between wickets for when an outfield has dew.Personally I feel I use a bit too much of my brain in this format.
Has anyone summed up the Twenty20 format better?That’s why you should watch the game. What went wrong you would have realised.
There were times when journalists were at the receiving end of his one-liners.Another 20 days and you can apply for citizenship.
The feeling after India’s long tour of Australia in 2014-15.It’s like having 100kg put over you. After that even if you put a mountain, it will not make a difference.
What’s pressure? A matter of a few extra kilos.Whenever we have played with four fast bowlers, two things happen. One the captain gets banned, two we lose.
He often got straight to the point when discussing tactics.They actually feel it will be better off to put a bowling machine there.
When his bowlers didn’t like the new ODI rules introduced in 2013.God is not coming to save us.
The words of wisdom in the huddle before India’s successful defence of a below-par total in the 2013 Champions Trophy final.At the moment, we are not even using one, where will we bowl two?
The time he felt helpless when two-bouncer-an-over rule was introduced in ODIs, given how India’s fast bowlers were either injured or out of form.Frankly, I am quite bad at analysing technique; you have seen my technique.
But will we see him as an expert on the telly?We will be busy shopping. That’s something we can afford to do. There is nothing really in our hands.
What to do when your team’s fate lies in the hands of a match played by others.From Kishore Kumar, we have gone to Sean Paul.
Dhoni had to adapt to the old and the young during his stint as captain.You die, you die. You don’t see which is the better way to die.
His wit didn’t desert him during back-to-back whitewashes in England and Australia.I don’t mind repeating everything.
After he led India to the 2011 World Cup. A lot of Dhoni fans wouldn’t mind hearing those words now.The only person who can control Sreesanth is Sreesanth. It is beyond my control and I don’t think too much about.
Man-management MS Dhoni style.Till the full stop doesn’t come the sentence is not complete.
The time when he got metaphorical ahead of the 2011 World Cup final.One other guy won’t play.
It’s not easy remembering your XI, especially when it’s the first game of a World Cup campaign.The only thing that went well for us was the warm-up before the game.
The positives from a bad game.If I have a drink in hand, I excuse myself by saying, ‘I’ll just get a drink’ but never show up in front of that person again.
Wonder if he still does this when he encounters someone with an Australian or British accent, which he found difficult to understand.Frankly speaking I don’t understand Duckworth-Lewis. I just wait for the umpire’s decision.
He is like the rest of us.What happens inside a meeting, where the selectors, the captain and the coaches are there, when it comes out, it is disgusting and disrespectful.
The time when he got upset when discussions of the selection meeting were leaked to the media.If you are not 100 per cent fit and not at your best [and still play], it’s cheating.
When he made his stance on fitness clear after sitting out a Test series in Sri Lanka, in 2008.When you’ve played international cricket, you realise you never play 100 percent.When his stance on fitness evolved in a 2019 IPL match.I’ll just ask Mahela if he will lend Mendis for a couple of practice sessions.
That was a plan.You [media people] change my girlfriends every two days. Please let one continue for some time.
The days when Indian media loved speculating about all things Dhoni.We are told that Mumbai is a city which is always on the move. See, me and my boys have brought the entire city to a standstill today.
His reaction after crowds thronged to welcome the team at a parade following the World T20 win.Before I start I should say I read an article by you in Cricinfo. You’d said Australia were the favourites. Today I think me and the boys, we proved you wrong.
Speaking to Ravi Shastri after India’s victory over Australia in the semi-finals of the 2007 World Twenty20, MS Dhoni had revealed that he read our site.Now even PETA has said you can’t cosmetically remove the tail.
A woke answer from a woke captain – after many questions about India’s lower-order batting.You may put hybrid fuel in the car but the cylinder, the engine, everything, needs to be like that.
On whether India needs a fielding coach.I love to go back to Ranchi. I have three dogs at home. Even after losing a series or winning a series, they treat me the same way.
On the break from being India’s captain and under constant scrutiny.In countries like Australia or England, people speak English in such an accent that it is very hard to understand. So, at parties when locals come to us and start talking, even if we are not getting anything, we say ‘yeah’. Or if I have a drink in hand, I excuse myself by saying, ‘I’ll just get a drink’ but never show up in front of that person again
Early tours with the Indian team were challenging on many fronts.I didn’t expect MS to ask me to captain the side for five overs. I was already switched off, so he woke me up. I didn’t know what was happening the first six-seven balls.
Sourav Ganguly, when MSD made an unexpected gesture in his final Test…
From 1929 hrs consider me as retiredFinally, Dhoni using his first Instagram post in eight months to announce retirement in the way only he could