Despite the world of cricket being the most important part of an Indian layman’s life, the 2011 WC win brought new inspiration into the deep thought process of an average desi middle class family. The prospect of being a professional cricketer had never looked so serene. This prompted many-a-fathers to decrease the threshold of stereotypical expectations surrounding their young children, allowing the potential future stars of cricket to gain an entry point into one of the few aspects of the world where Indians can celebrate in unity.
The 2019 auction of an Indian franchise league saw an abundant inflow of raw talent being picked up by partnered teams, paving the way to a new generation of players ready to seize the opportunity. New players beckoned for coaches with modern ways of judgement, in which every minute aspect of the game was inherent for success. One of these talents was a middle order batter, dreaming of making his name on the big stage. Hailing from an isolated town in Bihar, his unorthodox play style and attitude towards the game caught the attention of a number of coaches and experts.
Upon getting drafted into the Gujarat outfit for a measly 50 lakh, he believed it was his time to shine. But during initial training sessions and matches, his bat speed was struggling to cross 100 kmph, and the consistency of his performances were that of a summer lager. He tried to adapt his play style to the different conditions of the pitches; still leading to no progress. It was during his 4th training session that his coach came across the str8bat sensor. The revelation hit him with a tsunami of fervours, making him feel as if he’s just discovered the cure to cancer. The data of that training session showed him the smallest inconsistencies of his play; the most outstanding one being his bat-lift angle. “His bat-lift was narrow enough to fit him into a flat in Mumbai worth 30k a month,” exclaimed his coach.
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The youngster was then advised to work on his downswing. His bat lift slowly became wider everyday, moving from the off stump to the 2nd or 3rd slip. With an approximate change of 14 degrees, his bat speed improved by 21% and his impact speed improved by about 27%. This caused more than 60% of his shots to cross the 100 kmph mark. This change also helped him maximise his hitting arc, making him more decisive while hitting shots on the leg side. Soon enough, his Instagram captions transcended into his game being more versatile than his aunty’s neighbourhood gossiping network.
