New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won applauds for his innovative captaincy during the recently held World T20 in India.
The Kiwi star will now be donning a new role, that of a solid middle-order batsman for his Indian Premier League team Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Williamson along with India’s Virat Kohli, Aussie captain Steven Smith and Joe Root of England are considered to be most technically correct batsmen in the present era.
Catch him in a chat with IPLT20.com.
As a captain, as a batsman and as an individual, what kind of a learning curve has the T20 World Cup been?
It was certainly something new for me in terms of captaining a side in a World Cup. But, it was a lot of fun at the same time. We had a side that gelled and adjusted well together in a variety of conditions which certainly helped our performance. Every time you come over to India, in this part of the world, you learn so much. Also, playing at such big competitions helps you learn a lot. It certainly helps you as a player and as a team.
Sometimes, the ego of T20 cricket can get the better of you and can get in the road of you being able to adapt to different conditions. You can certainly be playing on a number of different surfaces from game to game and taking that ego away of going out there to get a winning score. That could be 150 on some pitches or 200 on others, but being smart and reading that situation is very important. The beauty of playing here is that you have to be smart on different surfaces.
Personally, how much of pride did you take in leading the national side in a world event?
It was definitely a transition period and it still, is. The work that Brendon McCullum did for the side was incredible. Personally, I feel am very fortunate to learn from someone like him. We as a team can be proud of our efforts; we were very consistent in the World Cup, which is very difficult to do in T20 cricket. To get beaten in the semi-finals is the nature of the game. I think if you break it down, we probably didn’t play 4-5 overs of our best cricket which made us lose the game.
What did you learn from Brendon McCullum, the batsman and the captain?
There are just too many to mention in just one chat to describe the way Brendon along with Mike Hesson and the support staff changed the culture of the side. Not just specific to T20 cricket, but the cricket side of things in general was huge in moving the team forward. We as a group will be looking to move forward and instill a lot of belief and confidence in the players which is what Brendon did.
At times, did it amaze you the way he played - acceleration at will irrespective of the format? Did you ever try to ask him how he could do that with so much ease?
That’s an interesting point. The way Brendon was able to commit to his game was a form of leadership in itself. He led through example and the words he told to the team were very much accurate to his actions. He went out there and played with that aggressive approach and instilled confidence in other guys to go out there and do the same in their own way. It was very hard to do the same way as Brendon did because he is a special player. You try and use your game and play in an aggressive smart way; express your game the same way as your captain did.
You are calm; sedate in approach, did you ever feel the need to be as menacing as your captain?
As a player you are always trying to improve your game. I think it is important to work alongside your own personality - the way you are and not try and be someone you are not. Everyone that plays the game is different and that is the beauty of the sport. I think playing your game is of utmost importance. There are not going to be two players who will play the same way. There is no point trying to be like someone else but there is a lot you can learn from other people at the same time. You can take little bits from other people, whether it is bowlers or batsmen and try and assist your own game so that you can have success in your own way that helps the team move forward.
There is so much being spoken about approaching the T20 game. Does a batsman need to be on the face, hitting sixes and fours at will to be called an aggressive batsman & be suited for the shortest format?
If you break it down as a batsman, you naturally have to score at a good strike-rate in this format and how you do that is up to the player. Whether it is hitting sixes or hitting twos. If you are achieving what is needed, then it is equally the same. Looking at your own game and understanding how you can serve the purpose is important. A lot of us do not have the luxury of that extreme power game of hitting sixes at will, so you are looking to do the same by different means.
How do you remain Zen like in your approach?
For me, decision making is very important when you are out in the middle. Anything you do outside of cricket, you have to make good decisions. When you do make good decisions, you tend to become calm and relaxed. You try and improve that as well. You have got players who can hit the ball out of the park and have different special skills, but at the same time, those players need to make good decisions as well. I think my personality is such where there is a constant urge to improve.
Every day is different. Sometimes relying on the word zone is detrimental, but when you are in that space, you do tend to play your best cricket. You don’t have to be playing perfectly to contribute well to a team or help your team win. I suppose having a holistic approach of being relaxed in the good and the bad is important. Every player I am sure does go through his routines and there are certain things that help them relax and play within themselves so that they are not getting too far ahead from themselves or not looking too far behind them by simply playing the ball as they see it and in the best way they can and enjoying it. I don’t line-up my drink bottles up, but I just go and try and be relaxed to make the best decisions I can which will evidently help you in the middle.
Does one need to modify your game to fit into the T20 scheme of things? Have you made any?
I think the basics and the fundamentals of the game remain the same no matter what format you play. You know that if you are in control and your game is in order, it is much easier to adapt from format to format. If you are in control of your game, you can make those adjustments and adapt well. That is a big part of this level of sport. You are always looking to improve your game. One of the great things about T20 cricket is that it is so different that it allows you to explore so many other options to try and achieve what is required to have some success in T20 cricket. That could be playing new shots or practicing new shots but whatever it is, it is important that you explore those options to try and move your game forward.
Virat Kohli spoke about coming to terms with his own game-play, focusing on boundaries and running the hard yards but still get the runs going. Is that style of play a bit similar to yours?
He is a special player and I guess a player like me can watch players like Virat and learn a lot. He can adjust his game according to the situation and also have a power game. He isn’t a bully batsman which some players are in T20 cricket. I am not a bully batsman either, so you are trying to play in a way that you can still create a strike-rate that is assisting the team but you are just simply doing it in through your own skill set. His ability to adapt and play his game in all three formats is not an easy thing to do by any means. He is a special player and there is no question about that. Everyone takes their own bits and pieces from whoever they are watching but his ability to do that and the hunger in him is incredible.
There are some players who are labeled as Test cricketers and take it as a challenge to modify their game to suit the T20 style. How difficult is that transition?
It definitely is a challenge. When some of the best players in the world seek quality, you tend to learn quickly. I feel the best players in the world are the ones who tend to learn quickly. You throw at them any new challenge - like a T20 format, they are able to learn and adjust quickly. Changing formats is a challenge and an enjoyable one and someone like Virat is the best in the world in being able to do that.
You might still be in T20 mode after the World Cup. Excited to be back in the Orange for the IPL?
Absolutely! Being a part of the IPL is just an incredible experience. Any time you get to play cricket in India, is amazing. I am looking forward to this IPL campaign. The format is such that there is a certain amount of overseas players and you know you won’t play every other game. But you have to be prepared for an opportunity. You want to enjoy the opportunity and I am looking forward to this season.
Courtesy: IPLT20.com
