RANJI TROPHY 2016-17

Playing long innings comes naturally to me: Kaushik Gandhi

 •  Published on
"What I worked on was we know we are going to play on good, green pitches in the north from the beginning of the season."
"What I worked on was we know we are going to play on good, green pitches in the north from the beginning of the season." © Cricbuzz

Kaushik Gandhi, the self-effacing 26-year-old from Dindigul, batted untroubled to compose his maiden double hundred against Gujarat to ensure Tamil Nadu's progress to the quarterfinal stage of the Ranji Trophy 2016-17. With a sideways stance, a good stride forward and a near-perfect straightening of the willow, he negated Gujarat's spin duo of Axar Patel and Hardik Patel with perfect harmony.

When Jasprit Bumrah banged it in short, he was equally decisive on the back-foot and used the pull-shot to great effect. His prosaic methods might seem old-fashioned, but Gandhi's long-vigils at the crease have set a solid platform for Tamil Nadu to notch sizeable totals this season. He has composed three hundreds in the Ranji Trophy this year - 157, 164 and now 202 - and on every occasion, Tamil Nadu aggregated impressive totals.

Moreover, Gandhi seems to have the resolve to paddle his way through difficult periods. To illustrate the point, in a game played between Vijay Cricket Club and Young Stars in the TNCA Championship in 2014, he had suffered a finger injury. However, Gandhi still came out to bat at No.7 and compiled a crucial unbeaten knock of 81 to help Vijay CC to qualify for the next round (Vijay CC, however, lost the game by 19 runs, while chasing 338).

Gandhi said that the virtues of patience and persistence have been ingrained in his batting system from a young age. "That has been with me naturally for a long time (concentration)," Gandhi said the opener. "I have been known for playing long innings, so that is not something I have really worked on.

"What I worked on was we know we are going to play on good, green pitches in the north from the beginning of the season. So we worked a lot on our defence, letting balls outside the off-stump. All these basic things that you need on green tops, especially away from home," he said.

Gandhi was picked in the Tamil Nadu set-up back in 2009, but he could make his first-class debut only in 2011. Even after wearing the white flannels for the first time for Tamil Nadu in a Ranji Trophy encounter against Haryana in 2011, he struggled to break into the playing XI. It was only this year that he cemented his place in the side. Gandhi pointed out that the Tamil Nadu set-up had a star-studded batting line-up in the past. He also praised the think-tank for backing him through the course of the season.

"The reason why I played only six games in the past (first five years of his first-class career) because there were a lot of huge names in Tamil Nadu. It wasn't easy to get a string of games at that time. I can't blame them, maybe I didn't utilize the chances, but this year, if you see the start, I didn't do much in the first two games. I think the credit goes to the team for backing me and I'm very thankful for them. Probably that helped me in getting this performance."

Tamil Nadu were placed a lowly sixth in Group B in the Ranji Trophy last season. This year, however, they have turned around their floundering fortunes by qualifying for the knockout phase of the tournament. Gandhi acknowledged that Tamil Nadu didn't play to their potential last season, also adding that cultivating a good team spirit has been one of the reasons behind their success.

"Every year is a different year. Probably when we started this year, we weren't thinking of the last year. And when we started last year, we weren't thinking of the previous one when we ended as runners-up. If you see last year, two games went in the rain for us. So we were a bit unlucky. We also didn't play to our potential.

"This year, we have been doing well. We have got a bit of rub of green our way, there were two to three close games that we got the lead against Bengal and Punjab. So I think we have been doing really well as a team. Everybody is gelling well together because everybody is almost in the same age-group and seniors too are gelling well with the youngsters and I think that is the key for us," he reckoned.

Gandhi also commended the team management and said that they take care of the decision-making process, which in turn would help the players feel no pressure of playing the upcoming quarterfinal game.

"There is a different group (think-tank). The leader group takes care of all the decisions and everything. For us, the other players, we just look at going and expressing ourselves. Doing our best for the team. We don't see it as a quarterfinal game and they also help us in taking each game as that game and not looking at any magnitude of the game. Even if it is a quarterfinal game or even if it is a no consequence game, we look to go and do our best. We like to stick to that process.

"The think-tank and the leader group look at what needs to be done. That is the best thing about this team. Other players are free to express (themselves in the middle). Yes, we need to give our best in each and every game, but other than that, we needn't worry about anything, any pressure we are facing quarterfinal, (about the) wicket or nothing like that," he said.

Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the former Indian all-rounder, took over as the coach of Tamil Nadu's set-up for the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy season. Under his tutelage, Tamil Nadu have played with renewed vigour to qualify for the knockout phase of the tournament. Gandhi agreed that Kanitkar has made a telling difference to the team with his straightforward approach.

"He has been really tough. I mean, he has been smart and he has been tough. He has been telling us to do the right thing at the right time. I mean, if we drift away in practice or if we are not switched on, he comes to us and tells us. He is a very direct person. He doesn't speak much and talks to the point and tells us whatever he feels is wrong with us or if we are drifting away from anything, he tells us directly.

"It has been a huge plus for our team. I mean everybody knows when they need to be switched on or switched off and when they can relax, and that has been a big change for us this season," Gandhi signed off.

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