What sort of batsman are you? Are you someone that is constantly looking at the scoreboard or keeping track of your individual score? Are you someone that gets brilliant 30s way too often and gets out? Are you thinking about personal milestones? What does this tell you? It tells you that you as a batsman, are not in the present and are too worried about things that aren’t in your control. Thinking this way is going to restrict the way you play. True freedom comes only when you are focused on the next ball coming your way and everything else is irrelevant.

Let’s talk about –

Getting starts and then throwing it away –

Batting is not just about having a vast array of strokes but also about how to use them and when to use them and what to use against who on what sort of surfaces/conditions.

Getting brilliant 30s obviously means there’s nothing too wrong technically. If you can survive constantly during the initial part of your innings where you’re most vulnerable as a batsman and comfortably scoring thirties, and throwing it away, then the issue is mental or tactical and not technical. You’re either having a lapse in concentration or you’re too worried about how to build an innings and your personal score or you’re way too eager to get to personal milestones.

Either way, you’re not focused on the present. Sometimes a batsman can find it easy scoring the first few runs as the fields set are attacking, but then his/her skill set is tested as fields get a bit more defensive. This is where your true test lies. To be able to have the skill and the mental/tactical capacity to over come situations where it might be easy to survive, but difficult to score runs. The job of a batsman is to score runs, not survive. This is where most batsman panic and try to do things they aren’t used to doing. You want to get a move on but also want to hit that little personal milestone.

Batting is not just about having a vast array of strokes but also about how to use them and when to use them and what to use against who on what sort of surfaces/conditions. Some of the ways to cope with that middle 30 phase could be –

1. Prepare for every possible situation you might face when you get to that stage in training.
2. A whole lot of self belief. If you’re lacking in that, you won’t get very far. This comes with doing it over and over again and great preparation
3. Patience – if you have the ability or the skill, knowing when to pick the perfect time to change gears or pick the bowler can go a long way in scoring big consistently.
4. Stick to your strengths – if you’re limited in your ability, this is of utmost importance. Do not be fancy cause other people can be. Do what you know best. The end goal is runs scored and if it resulted in a winning cause, not how many switch hit sixes you hit.
5. Communicate with your partner – best way to tackle situations is to communicate with your partner. It’s 2 vs 11. If you’re finding a bowler difficult, maybe he might find it easier to face and score off etc. Its a team sport. Make the most of it.
6. Work on your single and double game – some of the best batsman in the world get through that stage with great running and great skill taking 1s and 2s. Batting is not just 4s & 6s.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton