His stance reflects his state of mind at the crease — calm and composed. No bat-slamming in the block-hole when waiting for the ball to arrive. Pravin Amre's bat tapping could be heard from a distance. But Y. Venugopala Rao brings a steady influence which is seen quite frequently in the longer version of the game. He is quite used to guiding the course of the match.
He was not suited for the one-day version. That is what critics held out against his selection. It saddened Venu that few backed him to play Tests. His forte was patience.
He still plays the waiting game, just as S. Badrinath of Tamil Nadu and Cheteshwar Pujara of Saurashtra. In domestic cricket, these are two quality practitioners of the old art of building an innings.
Learnt to innovate
But Venu has a mind of his own when it comes to batting. He still believes in the “basics” but has learnt to innovate. The other day he innovated well; played a few cross-batted heaves with a promise to self not to carry them beyond the Indian Premier League engagements.
“Why are you playing T20 cricket,” he was asked when Deccan Chargers signed him in IPL1. He pinched himself after attempting some crude shots. “This is not what I learnt,” he told himself but there was little time to correct.
He swam with the tide even though success eluded him. He had the potential but not the luck. A good ball or a good catch would end his knock when many lesser-qualified would thrive at the other end.
There was something wrong somewhere. His stance and the bat's follow through had nothing to do with it. He knew there was one man who could be counted and trusted — Robin Singh, the former India all-rounder with a penchant to offer correct remedial measures. “Robs Sir told me my head was falling to a side and the bat was not still,” remembers Venu. And correction followed. His head and bat remained still when meeting the ball and runs came at a rapid pace.
Same basics
“The basics of batting remain the same, whatever be the format. Watch the ball, play close to the body and along the ground,” Venu says. In that innings of 60 against Rajasthan Royals here, Venu hit four sixes. “Hitting sixes needs practice. It was not part of my batting but I learnt it; I had to.
“In T20, you have to watch the ball early and, if need be, play away from the body.”
This was not Venu had visualised at the start of the season but he intends to indulge now.
“Opportunities don't always come to you. You have to grab them,” says the Delhi Daredevils batsman. Robin made Venu change his approach and the tactics resembled the modern day batsman who firmly believes in scoring. It hardly matters if the runs come in edges, thin or thick. “You still need to plan. It is not that you can just slog to glory.”
Seven years ago, Venu had played the knock of his life, 228 not out to enable South Zone chase 501 to win against England ‘A' at the Teri Oval, near Gurgaon. The attack included Simon Jones, Sajid Mahmood and James Tredwell.
The innings created a corridor for Venu and helped him play 16 ODIs. But he could not establish himself.
He now pursues his dreams in a format he was never comfortable with.
The fact that he has adapted and begun to excel, “hitting sixes” as he says, allows the affable Venu, 29, to look at a new stage, the IPL, to perform and showcase his potential.
