With 51 wickets from nine matches in the 2015-16 season of Ranji Trophy Shahbaz Nadeem finished as the highest wicket-taker of the season. His sterling performance in the tournament which was integral to the team reaching the quarter-finals earned the wiry left-arm spinner from Jharkhand a place in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup. “It is a very important match for me. After taking wickets in Ranji Trophy (I have another opportunity to showcase my skills). I am looking forward to it and will try to do my best,” he said while taking to bcci.tv ahead of the match,” Nadeem said.
Speaking about his preparation ahead of the season that helped him put forth such an impressive performance, the spinner credited Jharkhand coach Rajiv Kumar for the results. “Our state coach, Rajiv Kumar helped me a lot with my bowling. He gave me some little tips on my bowling and my follow through which I think has helped me this year,” he said. “After working on his inputs I felt that I can put more body when I am bowling and I think that helped.”
His performance with the ball helped the team pull off their first outright win their third match of the season. After the comprehensive win he continued to play a vital role to keep the team in the race for a spot in the knock-outs. Reflecting on the performance in the league phase, Shahbaz Nadeem said, “What had happened was that we lost the first two matches, and then we won the third match against Kerala where I got seven wickets in the second innings. Then we got some momentum. In the first part we were nowhere in the race, we were at the bottom of the table then we won three matches with bonus points. There was a lot of effort from everyone and were keen to go one step ahead in this contest.”
While he has often given his teams crucial breakthroughs, the spinner is also known for being economical and has maintained it over the years. After playing for over a decade he still continues to stifle batsmen. “I always back myself. I don’t plan how to bowl (ahead) in each and every match. I plan according to the batsman and what he might be thinking and playing. My strength has always been to bowl in the batsman’s weak zone, where he is finding it difficult. I usually plan when I see how the batsman is doing; not before the match. I feel that is why I am being more economical, because I am planning while I am (playing) in the match. This has been the case since the beginning when I started playing cricket,” he said.
Speaking about his bowling and routines he further said, “Even when I represented my state in junior cricket I didn’t take pressure. I am not the kind of person who will sleep early before the match etc. I stay relaxed before the match. I don’t think about match too much. Everyone has their own way of doing things, their own routines; mine is that I will bowl in the nets one day before the match. After that I relax. Then, when the ball is in my hand I start planning. That has always been my thing. I have never planned in advance. It’s never been my game to plan much in advance.
“In the nets I try to bowl slow and with flight. I don’t try to think what the batsman is trying to do, what shot he is playing. I don’t compete with them. My planning is that I have to bowl at that proper length and from there I have to turn the bowl. So my planning is to keep doing my basics and not worry about the batsman too much.”
When asked how he works for succeeding in the multi-day format and adapts from one format to the other, the bowler said, “It is a little difficult if you are playing constantly in the shorter formats of the game. When I am going to play in the multi-day format I try to practice for at least two days. I do spot bowling for those two days just to get that loop and flight. I don’t believe in bowling to the batsmen in the nets. Once I do the spot bowling I get that confidence.
“Flight and loop is the only weapon with which you can deceive a batsman. I feel that flight plays a big role. But the way it is today it also depends on which batsman you are bowling to. There are some batsmen who you can get out with flight while there are some who like the flight. Some can easily play flight but they find it difficult when you are bowling quick to them. So that is what you have to assess during the match, who can get out by using flight or who can be taken out by bowling quick.
Speaking about the match in Mumbai, he concluded, “It is a big game. The biggest one in the domestic circuit and I am looking forward to doing well in it. We have a good side and Mumbai is also doing well, so it will be a good contest.”
