Stuart Binny’s rise and rise: At last, a star son who can play

For so long have we been saddled with the image of Anirudh Srikkanth – that we have almost lost touch with the idea of star sons who can play. So when Stuart Binny comes out and smashes a 13-ball 32 to take Rajasthan Royals to a thrilling win over Pune Warriors, we are quick to dismiss it as a fluke.

What adds credence to the fluke theory is the way Binny looks – a bit like Ranatunga but also quick on his feet like the Sri Lankan skipper. At 28, Binny isn’t exactly young either and despite making his first-class debut way back in 2003, he hasn’t made a mark in domestic cricket. In fact, he was rather invisible – unable to garner even a regular spot in the Karnataka team.

But over the last couple of seasons, we’ve seen a different Binny make an appearance. He scored 612 runs at an average of 47.07 for Karnataka in the 2012-13 Ranji season. This was a follow-up to the Lala Amarnath award, which he picked up as the best allrounder in the 2011-12 Ranji Trophy season during which he scored 742 runs and picked up 20 wickets. The right-hander has figured out his role in T20 cricket too and seems confortable with finishing duties he has in the Rajasthan Royals set-up.

Now, all of this is a rather big jump for a cricketer whose career first-class average is just 35.89 but in IPL 6, he has also shown that he has the qualities to become a finisher for India in the shorter format of the game. Yes, we already have Mahendra Singh Dhoni but Binny could give India another alternative down the order in limited over matches.

Indeed, he could be a better option than Irfan Pathan – whose bowling has never been very highly regarded by Dhoni and whose batting seems to be deteriorating pretty rapidly as well. His fitness has also been an issue and you can’t help getting the feeling of potential that has just wasted away.

With Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the Indian team, the ‘swing bowler’ slot isn’t open anymore. Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma will get into the team ahead of Pathan too. That’s three out of four bowler slots gone. Then you have the likes Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – spin bowling allrounders.

So where will Irfan fit into this team? You can’t really afford to give him the new ball when you have the likes of Bhuvneshwar, Yadav and Ishant in the team. And you can’t give him the old ball because he isn’t quick enough.

So it is probably time the Indian selection committee started looking at Binny in a different light

Binny has already spoken about himself as a limited overs specialist but the runs that he is scoring in first-class cricket mark him out as a cricketer on the move. He can bowl well and could be the perfect allrounder for India in conditions that help swing bowling.

As Roger Binny’s son, growing up was a cricketing education on its own.

“I went to a school with a rich cricketing background. I went to my dad’s coaching academy, which he set up when I was growing up. In a cricketer’s life, you tend to have more bad days than good days. I think when you come from a family like mine, people understand that more and that is why I started to do well. I realised that it is a game and you have to enjoy and love it. There is no use putting pressure on yourself,” he said in a Wisden interview in December . “When I was 15-16, I remember my father telling me that I was talented but talent won’t take me everywhere. It is how you work on your talent and work on your game.”

Binny has now played in eight seasons and he finally seems to be coming to terms with his cricket. As a bowler, he knows his limitations and that always helps.

“Bowling-wise, it is pretty much about finding the right areas. I do not do too much with the ball. I am a guy who does not bowl express pace; I can just swing the ball. If I am bowling to a left-hander, I concentrate on bowling into him. Similarly for right-handers I mix it up with in and out deliveries,” Binny said in the same Wisden interview.

But of course, Rahul Dravid’s presence as mentor and captain of the Rajasthan Royals is a big plus. “Rahul bhai has a big influence on the team since he has played so much international cricket and also is lot more flexible as was evident in the last game when he did not bat showing Rajasthan’s batting does not revolve around him. Having a guy like Rahul bhai helps a lot, especially since T20 is all about pressure,” Binny said.

“Rahul bhai and myself have a lot of meetings. With Paddy Upton now in the set-up, we do sit and discuss players and strategies. Rahul bhai off the field is very relaxed just like the cricket he plays,” he added.

And that calm is helping not just RR but Binny too.