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Every now and then in T20 cricket, we see imposing-looking targets tamed by a boundary-hitting spree in matches that tend to become a range-hitting contest. Sunday’s Punjab Kings-Royal Challengers Bangalore clash was one such affair. PBKS’ 14 sixes trumped RCB’s 13.
Chris Gayle would club the ball into the stands long before power-hitting became a common term. But there is now a growing belief that ball-striking ability should be a pre-requisite for every T20 batter. Those who don’t possess it are being tutored to upskill.
Punjab Kings, building on their power-packed auction strategy, have roped in Julian Wood – a power-hitting coach – as a batting consultant. Wood has served the England white-ball team as well as worked with teams in the Big Bash League and Bangladesh Premier League earlier.
The appointment of such a specialist is a first in the IPL. Wood is willing to make a bold prediction that hitting coaches will go on to replace traditional batting coaches in T20 cricket. “The game now is so boundary-driven. It’s not dots or ones-and-twos,” Wood said over a Zoom call. “Punjab have set a template in which we are going to play and we have to keep relaying that message to the players with consistency and clarity. You could play dots but if you hit more fours and sixes, then you generally are going to win the game.”
Wood’s power-hitting coaching is acquired from baseball during his stay in the United States, but he has customised his methods for cricket. “You need a base, balance and your head needs to be still when you hit the ball,” he said over a Zoom call. “It’s how you generate the power. When you play red-ball cricket, you play close to the ball. In white-ball cricket, you will have optimum distance from each length and each line that creates that access to the ball. So, what you are trying is to create a straight line for your hands to get to the ball to give you the most access to generate the power. You know you hit straight but you don’t play straight. You play with a slightly angled bat to open up avenues all around the wicket.”
Coach different players differently
Wood works overtime to allay fears all-format batters may have about efforts at developing a power-game messing with their technique. “This is a lack of understanding. You have skilled players, you have touch players, you have power players, and you have those players who have all three. The key thing as a coach is to look at players and work out the best way through which they can hit the ball harder,” he said. “Some will need rhythm and timing. Others like Odean Smith rely on massive power. With him, it’s about where he makes contact with the ball. I will not coach Mayank (Agarwal) the same way as I would Liam Livingstone. It’s basically body awareness and how you generate the power. I am not trying to take them away from their natural batting hitting tempo.
“If you can challenge experienced players in different areas, they like that because they are quite inquisitive. As long as you tell them why and they understand it, there is no problem,” he added. “The language of batting has changed in white-ball cricket and you can’t just keep saying the same old stuff that we said 10-15 years ago.”
According to Wood, “the 50-over game and T20 cricket are getting further apart”.
That explains PBKS’ auction strategy of packing their middle-order with several six-hitters in Jonny Bairstow, Livingstone, Shah Rukh Khan and Smith. “If you are going to face 20 balls and you hit 4 sixes, you have done very well. If you hit 5, you are absolutely in motion. If you hit 2, you are doing okay. You still have 15-18 other balls to face, so the foundation is still important. What I am trying is to get them in a position where if the bowler doesn’t nail his skill, they will hit that for a boundary and not let dot ball pressure build up,” he said.
While there are several batting anchors across teams in the IPL, all indications are that PBKS are not going down that route in search of their first title. “An anchor is gradually disappearing from the game,” opined Wood. “Punjab are going to play aggressively smart cricket. You have to play the situation. But we will have a good structure in attack. We are a bit under the radar which is good. It wouldn’t surprise me if we surprised a few people.”
Among Wood’s training tools is a bungee rope tied to a batter’s hip to help him hold shape while hitting the ball in training. “I use the bungee only on players who don’t use the power off their back leg. So, I can assist them with that. I have used heavy balls and weighted bats and the guys have loved them. It’s challenged them in a different way,” he said.
“I talk to the player first and find out what’s important for them with their ball striking,” he said. “For the skill and touch guys, once they get that timing right, you start to overload the technique to try and get the hands quicker. Now you can measure everything—the speed of the hands and the ball axis speed. Anything that can be measured can be improved on. It provides instant feedback to the players and coaches.”
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