'Stuart can be the all-rounder India is looking for'
'He is someone who swings the ball a lot and can be useful with the bat either at six or seven'
'After the Indian team stint in England, I observed it has started to come in sharply'
Stuart Binny's selection in India's cricket World Cup squad may have raised a few eyebrows, but his Karnataka coaches assert that the "transformed" all-rounder will prove his critics wrong and be an asset to the team in the upcoming tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
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Binny is the lone fast bowling all-rounder in the 15-man squad and expectations will be high from him in the conditions Down Under.
"Stuart can be the all-rounder India is looking for. And considering the conditions in the World Cup, especially New Zealand, he can be very useful for the team. He will be very handy with both bat and ball," Karnataka bowling coach MansurAli Khan said.
‘Stuart was the only fast bowling all-rounder even in the 30 probables’
Batting coach J Arun Kumar concurred with Khan despite being reminded that Binny failed to claim a wicket in three Tests he played, all in the pace-friendly England. With the bat, he scored 118 runs in six innings, at 23.60.
The only noteworthy performance in his six ODIs was with the ball and that came against Bangladesh last June, when he bagged six wickets for four runs.
"Stuart was the only fast bowling all-rounder even in the 30 probables picked earlier. He will be very handy with the ball in New Zealand. He is someone who swings the ball a lot and can be useful with the bat either at six or seven," said the 39-year-old Arun Kumar, who played 109 first class matches and made 100 List A appearances.
"I feel Stuart is more of a batsman than a bowler. Though, honestly, he is being looked as a bowler-batsman. The pitches in Australia should suit his batting style," he added.
‘He has enough variations to be successful in ODIs’
Both Khan and Arun Kumar feel Binny has improved as a player since making his international debut last January and put in extra effort on his fitness and pace.
"There are a lot of changes since last year when he went to England. He has improved his pace as well as his fitness. He was a very effective out-swing bowler earlier, but the in-swingers were not coming in sharp. But after the Indian team stint in England I observed it has started to come in sharply.
"He has enough variations to be successful in ODIs, whether it is his slow bouncers or slow balls or conventional swing," said Khan.
