How often have we seen a batsman give himself leeway before slamming a Mohammed Shami ball over the extra cover? not frequently.
The remarkable shot was seen by the Wankhede Stadium audience when Vishnu Vinod of the Mumbai Indians hit one off Shami during one of the games in this IPL 2023 season.
Everyone was in awe of the Kerala batter after that hit, but Tinu Yohannan, the coach of his home club, wasn’t shocked. Suryakumar Yadav’s stunning century and Rashid Khan’s all-around performance, who first caught a four and then hit an unbeaten 32-ball 79, overshadowed Vishnu’s 30 off 20 in that critical match, but the right-handed batter’s fluid batsmanship enabled Surya to bat long.
Yohannan, who has seen Vishnu closely on the home circuit, was really pleased when he first saw the batter 6-7 years ago.
“I saw him at least 6-7 years ago, and the initial impression I had of him was that he had some additional skill that might elevate him to the next level, particularly the kind of armour-piercing shots, the amount of time he had, and the speed of his bat. about an exclusive interview with News18 CricketNext, Yohannan remarked, “This gave me the impression that he had something unique about him.
With that knock for the Mumbai Indians, Vishnu—who has long played for Kerala—got his chance to shine.
He has been enrolled in the Kerala system for about 8 years, yet despite his brilliance, his advancement has been uneven. I believe that in Pathanamthitta, where he is from, there are facilities for practice and other things. However, the exposure you get from there is extremely little. He has been able to play both on and off in the Indian Premier League (IPL) because to his skill. He at least had the opportunity to display his skills this year when he scored 30 off 20 against Gujarat Titans in a MI game, he said.
moving to middle order
Vishnu always wanted to start Kerala’s innings, but Yohannan regarded him as a finisher. The right-hander did start Kerala’s white-ball innings last year, but the results weren’t promising. In eight SMAT games during the 2022–23 season, he scored 140 runs.
I advised him to bat in the middle order even though he always wanted to open in the Kerala system. I wanted him to play for Kerala at the same position he played for MI since he performed well there for his state team. Even yet, he had long desired to fill the opening job. We offered him that position in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and a few Vijay Hazare Trophy games last season. However, he was unable to perform successfully in that batting position. He was a finisher in my eyes at all times. He is someone who can help us win games, in my opinion. He is capable of it, Yohannan said.
Yohannan saw a need for a finisher on the senior squad and thought Vishnu would be a better fit.
We face stiff competition in India, as seen by the number of openers. But when it comes to the finisher’s position, MS Dhoni was previously batting in that spot, followed by Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant. Therefore, there is a space open there. Now that Rinku Singh is succeeding, he has entered the picture to fill that role. I don’t see many names there who can complete games, otherwise,” he remarked.
Yohannan considered Vishnu to be a finisher since the latter can easily clear the ropes.
In order to be a finisher, a batter must be able to clear the boundaries wherever they are playing in the globe. On his best day, Vishnu is capable of overcoming any obstacle and he has the necessary skills. One of the reasons I advised he take on that work on the side was for this reason, Yohannan said.
clearing technique
Yohannan said, “He does his own practice,” in response to the question of whether the Kerala hitter does any particular routines to improve his game. He seems to practice clearing a lot, from what I can tell. Additionally, he enjoys spending a lot of time batting, even in the nets. He has also become better at the sweep and the reverse sweep. He had been working on this for quite some time. He used to play sweep pretty often before, but now he also plays reverse sweep.
The 44-year-old also discussed Vishnu’s propensity for hitting quickly, whether he was at the middle or top of the order.
“Vishnu bats like way even when he is the opener. He usually gets off to a fast start. He lacks an alternative mode. He just took a little bit longer in one Vijay Hazare Trophy last year. In fact, he helped us win a match against Maharashtra when we were 120/6 in need of 280 or so runs and he batted in the middle order. He played a remarkable shot to get a hundred and get us across the finish line. He played a fantastic knock there. Additionally, he scored a century against Gujarat in a Ranji Trophy match last year, giving us the victory.
“Because he stays on hitting, he has a penchant for turning his tons into huge ones. He is a match-winner, but just two games out of ten are expected to be won by him in the match, according to Yohannan.
Journey in IPL
Vishnu last competed in the Indian Premier League in 2017, earning only three caps. Why did his next IPL participation take so long? According to Yohannan, everything relies on the dynamics and composition of the squad.
“Look, a lot relies on the makeup of the squad and its chemistry. Vishnu is chosen as the second wicket-keeper batter when he is chosen. He was previously selected for Sunrisers Hyderabad, when Wriddhiman Saha was chosen as the backup for Ishan Kishan. He said that he wasn’t truly thought of as the usual finisher.
The former India seamer was overjoyed that Vishnu was given a chance and the freedom to express himself in the middle order by Mumbai Indians.
“Congratulations to MI for recognizing his skill and giving him a few games. It’s quite encouraging to see. He also has a great deal of potential to perform at a higher level, Yohannan said.
When his IPL hopes didn’t pan out, Vishnu wasn’t worried about it and focused his attention on things that he could manage.
“You see, I believe he is someone who doesn’t really worry about the future, and I believe it is a gift for him. He has that kind of personality and acts in ways that he can manage. He aspires to provide his best effort and performance in every game. He wasn’t really concerned. He has always known that if he performs, he would be chosen because of his skill, Yohannan said.
“The only problem is that, given his skill, he might have had more opportunities to play in the IPL during the last five years. If he had been given those opportunities, he could have entered a contest or at the very least, his name would have come up,” he said.
Yohannan wants Vishnu to consistently win games for his squad so that they may remain in the spotlight and be included in IPL teams’ starting XIs.
“Those that were chosen for the IPL have a history of winning games for their clubs. They have remained reliable. However, even for Kerala, Vishnu would win one or two games in various forms. On his good days, he can win matches, but if he had been more reliable in these forms, he would have had more possibilities, the speaker said.