Having endured a stop-start international career thus far, Stuart Binny realises that he must grab the opportunities when they are presented to him.
The 32-year-old spoke on the sidelines of the Indian team’s preparatory camp here on Saturday.
Excerpts:
Kumble as coach
His presence takes me back to my junior days. I was 21 when I played my first Ranji Trophy match with Anil bhai. He was a tough man, there was no joking with him. We had Thilak Naidu as our wicketkeeper at that time. Thilak was all about the jokes, but Anil bhai was about getting the job done. He is more relaxed now though, and we get more smiles from him.
Fitness transformation
I was not getting any younger. I was 27 when I decided to give it a shot. It was something I had to do if I wanted to play for India. Being leaner and stronger has helped my bowling. I looked after my diet — that was 65-70 per cent of the job done. It was eight months of eating well, sleeping well, training well, and following strict schedules.
Counting on wife Mayanti Langer
She means everything to me. In International cricket, you end up having more bad days than good, so you need someone to support you. Mayanti has been that person for me.
Grabbing the opportunities
Opportunities in International cricket are going to come and I want to grab them. Even in domestic cricket, what turned it around for me was that I made full use of the opportunities that I got.
Virat Kohli as captain
Virat has told me exactly what he needs from me, and he expects me to go out and do it. He has shown so much faith in me, both during the IPL (the duo play together for Royal Challengers Bangalore), and even in Sri Lanka. I was flown in and he played me in the eleven straightaway — this shows he has a lot of faith. It is all about paying him back.
