Putting batters continuously under pressure, varying pace: Harsh Dubey''s learnings from Jadeja

Bengaluru, Sep 6 (PTI) Harsh Dubey tied down the seasoned West Zone batters with a tidy spell during the ongoing Duleep Trophy semifinal here, and the promising Vidarbha cricketer said he was fortunate to hold conversations with Ravindra Jadeja on the nuances of left-arm spin.

Dubey was part of the India A squad that toured England ahead of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, and he had ample opportunity to pick Jadeja’s brain on that trip.

“I was talking to Ravindra Jadeja ji. I was asking him, what was your mindset? How do you prepare for matches etc,” said Dubey, who picked up three wickets for Central Zone, after the third day’s play here.

“I mean, how do you continuously put batters under pressure... I mean, these are all questions that I used to ask him and which I can learn from him. So that's all we talked about,” he added.

More delight was in store for Dubey as he was also included in the India A squad for the two four-matches against the visiting Australia A later this month.

The 23-year-old said role clarity has helped him develop as a cricketer over the last season, where was the highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy (69 wickets).

“See, honestly, if I look at it from last season, I think I have got better opportunities. I am more clear about my role, what is my ability, and what I can do on the ground. So, I think it's about clarity and right opportunity at the right time,” he said.

“We have a very good culture of red ball cricket in Vidarbha. So from childhood, if we look at it overall, we have played a lot of red ball games.

“I think it's more important to play red ball cricket to set your basics right. So I think my base has been very good since childhood. So I am getting that result now,” he added.

The salient feature of Dubey’s spell in West Zone’s first innings was his accuracy and ability to alter lengths as per the batter who is at strike.

Dubey said he has been working at varying pace to defeat the batter in the air and off the pitch.

“Honestly, I believe more in classical left-arm spin. So, I try to vary the pace and deceive the batsman in spin and pace. So I have always thought that if the wicket is good (for batting) then, obviously, I can’t put it in the same place.

“So it will not be easy for the batsman to score runs. So, I have always thought about how to vary the pace, and what plan will be better for which batsman. So that keeps running in the back of the mind,” he explained.

Apart from effecting crucial blows, Dubey also showed his value with the bat, making a 76 off 93 balls to hand Central Zone a crucial first innings lead.

Dubey said he prepares himself for both batting and bowling as per the situation.

“I will choose the one (batting or bowling) which comes first in the toss. I started as a batsman and then slowly they put me into left-arm spin. If I am batting, then my thought is how do I take the team into lead or achieve whatever the target is. So when I was batting, I felt that if I play with a defensive mindset then maybe one ball can fly (and he can get out.) “So, my plan was not to let the bowlers settle and not allow them to put the ball on the right areas as much as possible. I have always had a positive mindset. So, I was thinking how to find gaps and how to collect boundaries,” he said. PTI UNG TAP