How Mumbai and Punjab Kings batter Suryansh Shedge practises the art of finishing

How Mumbai and Punjab Kings batter Suryansh Shedge practises the art of finishing

Thirty-two runs to win off 17 balls in the crucial last league-stage fixture against Andhra. Sixty-five runs for a win off 29 balls in the quarterfinal versus Vidarbha. Forty-six runs to win in five overs with five wickets in hand in the all-important final against Madhya Pradesh.

These were the match situations when young Suryansh Shedge walked out to bat for Mumbai during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) a few weeks back. Across these three innings, the 21-year-old scored 106 runs in 35 balls at a whopping strike rate of 302.86 – taking his team across the line each time, helping it to its second SMAT title in three years.

“I got into this habit of predicting the playing eleven if I’m in the squad. And, if I had to put in my name, it was only at that five-six spot. So looking at the batting order, I realised that I’ll be needed as a finisher. So, coming into the tournament, I practised that way,” Shedge told Sportstar.

“I used to hit from ball one. I used to play six-ball sets, take a little break and then play six-ball sets again. The only agenda was to hit every ball. Wherever the ball is, it has to be hit,” he explained.

A key factor that helped Shedge perform under pressure and excel in his role as a finisher is his clarity of thought.

“Nowadays, cricket has changed. You don’t take it down to the last over. You kill it whenever you get the chance. At the end of the day, batting is just reaction. So, you have to trust your instincts and just react [to the ball]. That’s what I did,” the all-rounder said.

Shedge’s innings against Andhra was particularly impressive considering he was barred from bowling earlier in the game for delivering two no-balls in an over.

“It was playing in my head when I was on the field. Luckily, I was involved in the game, fielding at the deep. I was able to take a couple of catches as well. When I went into the dugout, I knew I had to do something special,” he said.

“I knew that I could get an opportunity to go in and just finish the game. I was just visualising that and people around me were keeping it positive. When I went in to bat, I just took deep breaths, closed my eyes and believed in myself,” he added.

Shedge’s cricket career began when his family moved from Jaipur to Mumbai for work. He enrolled at the Dahisar Sports Academy where he had the opportunity to train from evening through the night.

Rising through the age-group levels in the city, the all-rounder was coached by former Mumbai wicketkeeper Manish Bangera and mentored by current Nepal head coach Monty Desai.

Missing out on the India Under-19 team was a body blow for Shedge who then turned to former Mumbai batter Abhishek Nayar for solutions.

“I met him a couple of years back. That is where the transition phase began. I was shown a mirror and there was a lot of introspection that was done,” Shedge said.

“If you understand him, you’ll follow him blindly. He’s that type of person. So, that’s what I did. I used to take a lot of insights and followed what he says,” he added.

Shedge is very much a batting all-rounder at present, but he has been bowling regularly for his State. However, his secondary skill wasn’t something that travelled with him along the journey.

“I never practised bowling till I was 19. I had a knack for picking wickets with just pure skill. But after a couple of injuries, I started to put a lot of focus on it,” the right-arm medium pacer said.

Well before Shedge displayed his ability in India’s premier domestic T20 competition, he was picked by the Punjab Kings for his base price of Rs 30 lakh during the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction.

He will share a dressing room with his captain at Mumbai, Shreyas Iyer, who could well lead him at the franchise too.

“He’s a very confident person. And I feel like if you’re around him, you will feel like a match-winner,” Shedge said about his skipper.

“Because if you’re playing in the team, you know he trusts you. And I’ve had a lot of conversations with him around batting, lifestyle, bowling and fielding. When you’re around him, you don’t feel pressure,” he added.

He insists he is focussed on the present and isn’t thinking about the IPL as Mumbai wades through a tricky group in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.

“There is a lot of time for the IPL. There are many things under our belt right now. It gives me immense pride to play for Mumbai, the best team in India. We’re going to do them [the state] justice and win a couple of more games,” he said.

After suffering two losses in the first four games, Mumbai will hope to finish the tournament strongly. It will look for a few favourable results to go its way to make it to the knockouts and try to win its third major tournament of the year.

“We want to win the treble this season for sure. I think if we put our hearts into it, that’ll happen. But for now, we’re going to just focus on the next game and take it from there,” the 21-year-old said.