Published: Sep 22, 2015, 09:24 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 22, 2015, 09:27 PM (IST)
Sreenath Aravind was recalled to the Indian senior side for the first time since 2011. He has been included in the T20 International (T20I) squad for the series against South Africa and was thankful to his Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammates Mitchell Starc, Zaheer Khan and Ab de Villiers for their tips during the Indian Premier League (IPL). “I have played with Zaheer Khan as part of the RCB. I have learned many things from him as to what difference a left-arm pacer can make to the team,” Arvind said. “He kept it very simple. He always talked about bowling hard lengths and reading the batsman so you can be one-up against him. I also learned a lot from him in terms of forming different plans to counter each batsman based on his skills,” Aravind said. READ: MS Dhoni to lead India in limited-overs against South Africa; Gurkeerat included in ODIs
“There was one thing he told me that has stuck with me. He said, ‘We, as bowlers, have six balls in an over whereas a batsman, once he gets out, doesn’t have another opportunity’. That mindset has helped me be more confident about my own bowling,” Arvind conceded, according to bcci.tv.
Talking about Starc, Aravind said,” “Mitchell Starc has been very helpful. The most important thing I’ve learnt from him was how to bowl yorkers effectively based on the wicket you are bowling on.”
Aravind also said that by bowling at de Villiers he learnt a lot of things. “I bowl a lot to AB de Villiers in the nets and have learned many things about how to bowl to him. If I can share the information with my team-mates, it will help not only me but also the other bowlers when we play South Africa,” Aravind said. READ: Suresh Raina, Sreenath Aravind shine as India A beat Bangladesh A by 75 runs to win series 2-1
“AB gave me helpful pointers from the batsman’s perspective when I bowled to him in the nets – what delivery he finds tough to deal with and how I can trouble the batsman more if I change the angle or the length. I hope to use that knowledge to the benefit of Team India,” he added.
Aravind also went on to say that he is really excited to be called up to the national squad. “I was so happy and excited when I heard of this call-up. It has been a long journey and I was expecting this. In 2011 it was very surprising for me. This time I was much more prepared. Since the last time, I have improved my bowling and worked really hard to get better as a bowler,” Aravind said. READ: Rahul Dravid instilled positive thinking in India A team, feels Sreenath Aravind
