Prabhsimran Singh’s batting isn’t likely to win many points for elegance. Not that it would bother him.
The role assigned to him, and his opening partner Priyansh Arya, by the Punjab Kings team management is that of a battering ram, kamikaze-style operation, in which their survival is hardly a concern.
On Tuesday against Rajasthan Royals, the left-handed Arya was repeatedly found out by pace, with both full length and short deliveries, before he inevitably perished. Throughout his torrid stay – though his team would argue that an 11-ball 29 served the purpose – as he evaded the fielders and benefited from a dropped chance, he refused to acknowledge that an alternate approach was possible. It points to the apparent lack of nuance and subtlety in T20 batting, especially at the start of an innings.
Once his partner had departed, it fell on Prabhsimran to keep the run rate at an acceptable rate for Punjab Kings – remember this is a team that chased down 264 with more than an over to spare in their previous game. But the manner in which he threw his bat at each delivery, a 44-ball 59 at a strike rate of 134 may not be high enough. Swinging like a rusty gate, is the description that came to mind on most of his shots.
Watching Prabhsimran bat would lead one to conclude that a bat is best used as a weapon of war, sometimes as a sledgehammer, sometimes as a sword, sometimes as an axe.
He was frenetic from the first ball he faced. He jumped around the crease even as he defended a Jofra Archer delivery. His first boundary was a slash over point when given a hint of width. He seemed to be rushed into his strokes by the high pace, but kept swinging.
Prabhsimran’s approach during the Powerplay was basic enough: get the front foot out of the way, when you can, and swing for the hills without any coordinated footwork. The ball didn’t always hit the middle of his bat, but that hardly concerned or tempered his game plan. The only time he seemed to be in full control was when the ball was in his hitting arc and preferably, on the pads. Short balls continued to trouble him as top edges seemed to be the order of the day.
It was apt that the end came through a wild slog to leg-spinner Yash Raj, the sort of shot that could have gone to hand a lot earlier in the knock.
It’s probably an unfair comparison, but Marcus Stoinis showed at the end of the innings how a calm mind and a stable base can take down bowlers even without Powerplay restrictions. The Aussie is blessed with great power, but played proper shots and his unbeaten 62 off just 22 balls (strike rate above 281) looked a much more composed effort and was instrumental in Punjab Kings reaching 222. Prabhsimran can take a leaf out of his senior teammate’s book and understand that there needs to be some method to the madness.
