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00:00That's a really good point actually because the toughest players to bat in 2020 cricket is in the
00:06middle. The opportunity you have, we know Virat likes to get in and chew balls up and get himself
00:14in and get that ball big and feel the facilities and the ballers and then go big at the end.
00:19But what happens is when that doesn't work, that puts a massive amount of pressure on the
00:24middle order. When you've got the hitters playing positive up front,
00:28they create a few balls of calm for the next guys coming in.
00:36Good afternoon everyone. Welcome to our weekly show, Talking IPL. We talk about IPL,
00:42what happened in the last one week and what's going to happen in the next week, coming week,
00:47which is going to be crucial for every team because that's when the make or break moments
00:53will be happening in the coming week. So, joining us today is Paul Nixon, the former England
00:59wicketkeeper and the coach of Mentor Academy in Dubai. And as usual, our enthusiast, Sai,
01:06who's gleaming because Hyderabad won it yesterday. Welcome, Paul and welcome, Sai, to the show.
01:14Thank you very much.
01:16Okay. Paul, just to talk before I go further.
01:23So, in T20, it's becoming very difficult to maintain the momentum or maintain the winning
01:30rate. Because if I can add two scenarios. One, Rajathan have been doing very well.
01:36And then they have got five losses in six games, whereas Gujarat is able to maintain that momentum.
01:43So, tell us through, because as a coach, as a former player, how difficult or easy to
01:47maintain the momentum and what are the pitfalls that the team needs to be worried about?
01:53Yeah, well, you've got to do, you know, you've got to have real clarity. Each team has got to
01:58have real clarity with their roles. And you've got to have a backup plan for each role. So,
02:04if you get off to a flying start, who then is going to come in next? Who's then the best player
02:09to spin in the middle? So, you've got to have real clarity. If you lose early wickets in a
02:14clump of two or three, who's the guy that can go and settle a team down? So, all the teams that are
02:22doing well, I think that have been really successful are the teams that have that clarity
02:26with each situation. So, people have got clear minds. Everybody's singing from the same hymn
02:33and there is no grey area. And I think winning a couple of close games really helps with the team.
02:40When you win a couple of close games, a couple of tight ones, you create the belief in your team
02:45that actually you stay calm, you trust the guy that's doing the job. And I think that's what
02:51is really important. A good early win, a good tight win early helps you. And then once individuals
03:00start doing well and you have people being a little bit more consistent in their roles,
03:08when people make a difference in their team, whether it be 20 off nine balls or 45 from
03:1428 balls, as long as you've got a nice little match-winning performance, that gives you
03:19confidence in the individual and it helps other people have confidence in you too.
03:22Lovely. And then coming back to another important question is,
03:29England players, if you look at it, only Butler came in good yesterday. But whether it be Ruth,
03:35whether it be Butler, Stokes is not even playing. Harry Brooke showed a good form,
03:39but again, he is not playing. How much of it will be a worry to England team when they come
03:45and play the Ashes? Because just after this, I think they'll be entering the Ashes. So,
03:50what kind of mental makeup they will be entering the Ashes? And do you really see it's a problem
03:56or you think it's nothing? It's only a little part of the show?
04:02Yeah, good question. I think that England's strategy in Test match cricket is so positive,
04:09it's almost like 2020. So, yes, the wickets are going to be so different, the conditions are
04:16going to be so different. But ultimately, it gives you confidence coming into a series.
04:21You know that it's not everything, but it's about your own confidence, the trust in your game,
04:27where the ball's in a certain area, you've got the control and you've got the technique to
04:35deliver what's necessary to win a game and build big scores or ball in good areas. So,
04:40it's more a personal confidence than anything. I think the Ashes are going to be really interesting.
04:45I think the whole world's watching as far as what can England do, how they're going to go about
04:50this magnificent Australian bowling line-up. And we've seen Labashire now in England playing
04:56for Glamorgan. We've got Steve Smith arrived, who's playing at Sussex now as well. In fact,
05:01we play them this next game. So, we're doing our homework on him the next couple of games.
05:06So, keep an eye out and keep your fingers crossed for us. So, yeah, it's going to be wonderful to
05:12see those guys in England. And they're getting themselves ready as well. So, both England are
05:17getting themselves ready with guys being confident in IPL. And obviously, Australia are trying to
05:22get as many guys as they can play in county cricket.
05:26Okay. Sorry, I've been waiting for a long time for me to pop up this question.
05:31What a relief, Hyderabad winning that last ball victory, that to offer no ball.
05:38Ah, your heart must be in your mouth, isn't it? And the win is keeping the chances still alive.
05:44100%. Yes, exactly. It's keeping the limelight. Actually, every team is playing their best and
05:51nobody, no team is giving up. If you look at it, the top two teams have been winning and the last
05:56bottom three teams have been winning. It's the middle players who are actually, who have been
05:59losing the last three matches. And if you look at it, every team is giving a run for the champions
06:05money. So, it's very tight. And it's getting tighter and tighter by the day. So, now SRH has
06:10three matches to go. And we have it on 13th, 15th and 18th. And we are going to play RCB.
06:18Sorry. You've got four matches. You've got to play only 10.
06:20Yeah, four matches. Correct. Yes, four matches. You're right. And we have to play RCB. And
06:25Gujarat Titans are top leaders. So, still, if we win the four matches, SRH has a way in. And what
06:32I really liked yesterday was the way in which the entire team played as a unit. They dropped…
06:39Harry Brooks was not in form for the couple of matches. And Mayank Agarwal. And they got in
06:43Glenn Phillips. And also, they got in the impact player, Amolji. So, that was a fantastic win.
06:49And I think also, to give it as… Sanju made some tactical errors. I would say that.
06:57Yeah. Okay. But you are happy. You won't be concerned.
07:00And within the span of three minutes, the whole game changed. I mean,
07:03three minutes back, it's RR has won. Then the no-ball comes in. And three minutes later,
07:07it's SRH. Oh, what a turnaround. It was a fantastic match.
07:12Okay. You are also a fan of Mumbai Indians. You have been following Mumbai Indians.
07:17Rohit Sharma's form must be a cause of worry for you, isn't it? As a Mumbai Indian. Though
07:22Surya Kumar, Rishan Kishan, they are all coming into the party right now. But
07:26the form of Rohit Sharma must be difficult to sustain, isn't it?
07:32True. I read the other day, even Sunil Gavaskar and Srikanth are trying… It's not Rohit Sharma.
07:37It's Nohit Sharma. It's not… So, they are trying to change his name and telling him,
07:42it's time that he takes a break and reassess his requirements and come back into the team.
07:48Because he is a very important player from India. And I have a belief, he is a touch unlucky at
07:54times. And a touch too casual at times. So, it's very difficult. And he is totally out of form.
07:59He has been out of form for India previously also. And currently, he has not been scoring
08:04after a double century. It's been quite some time, he has been not in form at all.
08:09And it's really concerning for Mumbai.
08:12No. To be honest, I don't subscribe to this view. Because at the end of it,
08:16you have to keep playing. And then only from getting the runs, you can come over from the
08:20back form. But how can you do that when you are sitting? The same argument I had when Virat
08:25Kohli was going to a clean patch as well. So, Paul, bringing you here, you are a former player
08:29yourself. What is your thought process? Because obviously, as a player, you wanted to play and
08:36then score runs. Then sit outside, take a break and think about it, ponder over it and then come
08:41back. What is your thought on this? Well, as a player, when you are in good form,
08:46I think it's really important that you keep batting and keep playing. I think if you are
08:51out of form, sometimes you need to just get a headspace, have a break, calm yourself down,
08:59just look at footage, do the basics, go back to the absolute basics of your game.
09:04Whether it's just some gentle throw downs, talk to people who know your game and know you as a
09:10person is really important. Because we all want it so much, we get tense quite often. Actually,
09:17when we were playing at our very best, we were quite relaxed. So, it's finding that balance
09:22between the IPL and the pressure and the support that teams have got. The biggest thing is about
09:31taking it down and breathing and keeping as relaxed as you can. Because there's always,
09:37adrenaline and you want to try and rush things and try and do things mentally before it's being done.
09:44Actually, the best, stay calm for longer periods. Watch out for your at-bats and the world's best.
09:53When Harry Brooke was playing well early in the tournament, he batted several amount of
09:59balls. He got himself in, he played well, he got himself in, he was calm. Now we're seeing him
10:04playing scoops to Nokia and these guys, bowling 90 miles an hour, first ball, second ball.
10:11Sometimes, you're getting ahead of yourself. So, it's just staying calmer for longer and
10:16just giving yourself a couple of balls to get calm. That's the biggest thing I really believe.
10:22Okay. Talking about the batting, as a coach, what would be, as a Manchester Academy coach,
10:29and you guys are an Academy here and you're a Manchester coach as well, what would be your
10:35approach to the NKs? Because now we see that the guys who play, try to play more score,
10:41more force, are more consistent than those who are trying to hit the ball in the air.
10:46So again, with the various formats available, how do you approach a kid's batting at the start?
10:52Because that would be the grassroots level. From there, you will be bringing them and then making
10:57them into whatever players, world-class players, you're looking at to make them.
11:00So, what would be your approach, Paul?
11:03Well, certainly, at the start, you have to have power hitters. You need guys that can
11:08either go through the infield or over the top. So, these are practiced options. You know, really
11:16well-practiced options. Are you an offside player, predominantly? Are you a leg side player?
11:21Are you more of a front foot or a back foot player? So, are you going to charge their best ball?
11:27Are you going to sit back on it? They're the options that you're going to look at.
11:30You've got to get the data to find out who you're going to play against at this elite level.
11:35In the GMR Mentors Academy, when we've got our youngsters, you know, we make sure that
11:41the guys that are going to play T20 cricket and open the batting, they've got to be able to play
11:47the ball at the top of the stumps. Because generally, generally, you're going to try and
11:51swing the ball and they're going to ball top of the stumps. So, they're the guys and girls
11:57when they're playing their cricket, have to be able to punish that ball. Whether it's giving
12:02yourself room and hitting to the offside square or going right back and across to off stump and
12:09go into the swing and hit the leg side. So, they're the challenges you've got.
12:14Okay. Lovely. Coming to Sai. Sai, again, I'm talking about the consistency factor here.
12:22I think he seems to be winning one or two matches and then again, they're going back to a loss,
12:26one or two matches again, going to a loss. They have the orange cap player, they have the
12:32purple cap player and Virat Kohli who is also among the top form. So, why is this inconsistency
12:39happening in the RCB dugout? I think, in my opinion, what happens is that the middle order
12:46is not actually performing at times. I mean, even though Virat is doing well, but he is not hitting,
12:51I mean, he is not going at the pace at which an opener should go. I mean, we are expecting
12:55a lot from an opener. Especially, there is a power play there. The power play runs are…
13:03He is going to run a ball. But normally, that's the style of Virat. He goes and runs a ball for
13:10the first 50 runs and then he accelerates. But at times, he gets out at 50 and then it spoils
13:15the entire hard work that he has done. So, the middle player this time, there was a chance for
13:24the middle order to play and some of them did come up. And Dinesh Karthik is yet to perform.
13:29So, the lull out there is causing RCB a lot of trouble. And yet, the bowlers are doing well.
13:35The top order is doing well. So, if the middle order comes back to form, RCB can go to places.
13:42That's a really good point actually. Because the toughest players to bat in 2020 cricket is in the
13:48middle. And the opportunity you have… We know Virat likes to get in and chew balls up and get
13:55himself in and get that ball big and feel the facilities and the bowlers and then go big at
14:01the end. But what happens is, when that doesn't work, that puts a massive amount of pressure on
14:06the middle order. When you've got the hitters playing positive up front, they create a few
14:11balls of calm for the next guys coming in. And that's what happens when you have this strategy.
14:17It is… It's a slightly older strategy, I believe. I think, look at boundary percentage
14:24is really important. Virat's boundary percentage is pretty low. They've got a different strategy.
14:32So, it is both a high risk, but one puts your middle order under real pressure.
14:40So, it's an interesting one.
14:42Yeah, true. And Sai, coming back to you again, what about Rahul's injury? Like, well,
14:49Lucknow Supergiants, the way without Rahul yesterday, they were absolutely a bit of a
14:53clueless, isn't it? Like, they suffered a massive defeat without Rahul, either as a captain or
15:00either as a player. What do you think Lucknow's future holds good right now? Do you think they
15:08will continue to be there at all?
15:10See, somebody's loss is somebody's gain. And it is an opportunity for Quintin Dinok to come in,
15:14you know. So, Quintin Dinok did perform well. And for the first time, I think, in the IPL,
15:18we have both brothers playing against each other and both captaining each side. I mean,
15:23that's something special. Yes. And I mean, what to say about Gujarat Titans? They were fantastic.
15:30And Rashid Khan, the catch of… Even his fielding, I mean, what a stunning catch he has taken to get
15:36rid of the batsman. Oh, it was brilliant. Michael Myers, yeah. And Gujarat Titans was at their best.
15:43So, yes, LSD is having a problem here. But they have their good team, a good balanced team,
15:51actually, in spite of not having Rahul. It's all how they manage their team. I mean,
15:58from here on, it takes a lot. And Kunal Pandya is doing captaining for the first time. So,
16:02it's an opportunity for him to perform. Yes, it was a bad defeat. But probably,
16:06they will make up for it in the next two matches.
16:09Very good. Paula, you guys must be really happy, isn't it? Because Rahane is coming to
16:15you for Leicester. And how excited are you? And what do you think is the reason behind Rahane's
16:22transformation into such a big force in Chennai for this IPL? And how important is he
16:28for India in the Test Championship in English conditions?
16:34Well, ultimately, you want your best players in form. And he's almost regal the way he plays,
16:40isn't he? He's got this regal grace and class that we all love to watch. So, for me,
16:48it's almost his last chance now. He spoke to us last couple of years, wanted to come over to play
16:54for Leicestershire in England in county cricket. He's desperate to play back in that Indian team.
17:00He believes it's a good team and he wants to get back in that team. And he had to go and express
17:04himself. And that's what he's done. It's a last chance saloon. Go play positive, get in, play
17:10positive. And wow, we've seen the best of him. Some of those half centuries scored have taken
17:17our breath away. So, we're delighted watching him for Leicestershire that he's hopefully going to
17:21come in. We've got Peter Hanscom at the moment who's playing beautifully. He got a nice 50 again
17:26yesterday. He's a high-class player. So, he's already scored 100 for us. So, yeah, we're
17:33delighted with Peter. But Rahane, we've got a real South Asian community here in Leicestershire.
17:37They're all itching to watch him play and entertain us. And he's brilliant that he's
17:43just playing well. And when he plays well, he's a world-class player. So, any team he plays for
17:49is going to be happy.
17:51Okay. Another question coming back to you. There is a talk now, the T20 leagues are going,
17:57rather the cricket is going the football way with the T20 leagues holding all the players
18:04and they'll be controlling the international cricket. How much do you think that is realistic
18:10for? Because the county has been a major source like this for many years now. And
18:15there have been a lot of other leagues as well. So, how much do you think it'll go that way or
18:21what is your thought? Yeah, again, it's a $6 million question, isn't it? Because
18:27we had this question with Rahul Dravid actually, when India came over to England last year when
18:32they were based out of Leicestershire. And he was concerned about the lack of youngsters who
18:37want to play four-day cricket and test match cricket. It's about IPL and the Razzmatazz and
18:42the finances of IPL. So, there's going to be many more tournaments happening around the world. I
18:48know that America is about to kick off. I know that Saudi Arabia have had a huge injection of
18:55funds to build a lot of stadiums and play T20 cricket. I was speaking to Michael Vaughan only
19:00a few days ago about this and we were looking about, is there going to now be some sort of block
19:06in the summer, in English summertime that are blocking in a global game where test match
19:12cricket is played? Because the amount of cricket now and what's going to happen, we believe, is
19:18the big franchises around the world are going to buy the players from the country and almost take
19:25the players away and you're going to be a player, for instance, for the Mumbai Indians. And they
19:32have him, he's their player. So, it's going to be fascinating to see what happens in the world. I hope
19:37that test cricket is still the greatest format. I believe everybody believes that who's played
19:44four-day cricket. It's the truest test. And the way England are playing cricket now and the series
19:50in Pakistan of late, I think that we have a right and I think Brendan McCullen and Ben Stokes are
19:57right. We have a duty almost to the public to try and make it exciting and play a really positive
20:04brand of cricket. And still within, you know, what you can do within, obviously, world-class
20:10bowlers who can bowl more short balls. The Red Bulls have got the different challenges of a
20:15bigger seam and they're swinging seam more. So, I think a block that's just blocked off for test
20:22match cricket could happen in the future. It's going to be fascinating. Yeah, it's a fascinating
20:28time ahead. Okay, coming back to now, sorry, today's game. Punjab versus Kolkata. This is
20:37kind of… Yeah, Kolkata. Basically, this one will literally set one of them back, isn't it? Because
20:45both of them are on 10 points and both are on 10th place. So, one of them will be slightly
20:51slipping from the race. So, who do you think will have the edge today? I still have, you know,
20:57soft corner for Shikhar Dhawan. So, I would like Punjab Kings to come and play, you know.
21:02So, he has been playing well and they almost won their last previous match.
21:07But they went down fighting. Let's hope they will come back and beat KKR.
21:14Okay. And Paul, how about you? Sam Curran, you're supporting him. He didn't have a bad IPL. But
21:23coming late, as you said, it's not going to be easy for him. He got a 50
21:27as a bowler. He is doing well. So, do you back him or what are your thoughts ahead?
21:33Yeah, you've got to back him. He's a prestigious talent. He's a little powerhouse of a guy. So,
21:40he's got character. And for big games, when you turn up, it's about character and he's got
21:45plenty of character. Lovely. Okay. On a positive note, we'll catch up next week again,
21:52same time for the next week's show. Hopefully, by the time, a lot of things would have happened.
21:58Thanks for joining, Paul. Thanks for joining, Sai. And keep watching our
22:01social media channels and all of our channels. Thank you. Bye-bye.