Shreyas Gopal: "I've never considered myself any less of a batsman and the hunger to score runs is always there"

The Karnataka cricket team squeezed their way into the semifinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022 season (VHT) courtesy of a 4-wicket win against Punjab at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Set a target of 236 to win, Karnataka got off to a decent start and were well on track to get across the line before former skipper Manish Pandey perished to left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar for 35.

In walked Shreyas Gopal, who has slotted into the role of a crisis man with the bat over the last few months - first for the Mysore Warriors in the Maharaja Trophy and now for Karnataka in the Vijay Hazare tournament.

Specifically, in the ongoing VHT, Gopal started off the tournament with an all-important 76-ball 64 that helped Karnataka save their blushes against Meghalaya and he followed it up with another half-century against Vidarbha. A few matches later, against a strong Rajasthan bowling unit, Gopal's 72-ball 57 played a major hand in helping Karnataka to a respectable 208 which proved to be a winning total.

Gopal came in to bat against Punjab with a batting average of close to 43, housing hopes of stitching an important partnership with opener Ravikumar Samarth to enable a safe path for Karnataka's victory. However, five overs later, Samarth walked back after scoring 71 and with a little less than 8 overs left in the chase, BR Sharath edged the ball to the keeper.

At that stage, Karnataka still needed 48 runs to win from 52 balls - not a situation to really set the cat among the pigeons, but with 43 runs needed from the last six overs, things were starting to get tight.

Manoj Bhandage broke the shackles with a four and a six off Siddharth Kaul's 16th over, Gopal then scored back-to-back boundaries off the first two balls in the next over to get the required run-rate below 6 RPO, from where pocketing the win was relatively easy.

What stood out, though, was how Gopal soaked in the pressure early on and crafted an important 42-run knock that played the catalyst to Karnataka's win at the end. Although he couldn't make it to another half-century, the knock against Punjab yet again highlighted Gopal's rising credentials with the bat.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Gopal shared his thoughts on his role as an all-rounder, the effort that's gone into fine-tuning certain aspects of his batting and more.

"Honestly, I'm a little disappointed that I haven't got a century yet. I've batted a lot in the nets. When you're an all-rounder, you have to spend equal time working on both batting and bowling, so it can take a toll on your body. That said, I've never shied away from putting in the hard yards, not once have I neglected my batting."

"I started in First Class cricket as someone who could also bat, so I've never questioned that aspect of my game. I'm very happy to get runs but I have also set myself some very high standards, so to get out in the 50s or 60s is not at all doing justice to the team's cause. I'll work harder for sure."

Better known for his ability to outfox opposition batsmen with his bag of variations, Gopal's batting ability has always been masked by lack of opportunity, given he bats lower down the order.

In the Maharaja Trophy (Karnataka's T20 League), though, Gopal essayed important knocks for the Mysore Warriors coming in at No.5 and finished the tournament with a rich strike rate of 133.52 - unfurling a wide array of strokes such as the lap, scoop and reverse sweep among other shots that fit well in parallel with the mandate of T20 cricket.

As per Gopal, adding new shots to his style of play is his way of combating the continuous demands of six-hitting that come with the shortest format of the game.

"I'm not someone who can hit sixes consistently. I have hit a few for sure, but my strengths lie in playing the lap shot, sweeps or reverse sweeps and that's how I get a lot of runs. I back those shots to the hilt and I know when to use them, they are very good boundary options for me. If someone can hit two sixes and take a few singles, I can do the same with 3-4 boundaries in the over."

"Yes, there comes a time when I really back myself to take the risk and clear the fence, and that is a result of the efforts I have put into a lot of range hitting, tennis ball hitting and many other drills. I have to learn constantly because I am not a natural big hitter, so I have to work on that."

"Mayank has been very honest about what he wants from me" - Gopal on his role in the Karnataka team

Gopal etched his name in history books on October 11, 2022, when he became Karnataka's first-ever impact player (IP) in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, as part of the newly laid out regulations by the BCCI.

The all-rounder put in important all-round performances in the limited opportunities he got in the T20 tournament - an important 48* & 1/9 vs Jammu and Kashmir, apart from an underrated 23-ball 22 that helped Karnataka chase down a challenging total against Haryana.

In the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, though, Gopal has played every match and the clarity in his role given by Mayank Agarwal has helped him work towards a specific target.

"Mayank has been very honest with me about my role in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he's been very clear in terms of what is required of me with the bat. I was told if wickets fall early, according to the situation, I will bat at No.4 or No.5. Right now, I come in at No.5, but that changes if we go deep into the slog overs. They feel I rotate strike well and that's something I have worked on personally."

"I've never considered myself any less of a batsman as well and the hunger to score runs is always there. I know that I've pulled off wins with the bat, I've worked on my batting for the last 10-15 years. Sometimes my batting is not seen or it's missing out. I've put in a lot of effort on developing as an all-rounder."

"You need to have honest conversations with people who you trust" - Gopal on his support system

Once a regular in the Rajasthan Royals' playing XI in the IPL, Gopal has had to warm the benches quite a bit over the past two seasons, playing only four matches across the IPL 2021 and 2022 seasons.

With all-rounders worth their weight in gold, especially in the T20 format, cricketers have in recent years had to constantly develop new skillsets to challenge for a spot in the XI.

When asked if Gopal's had a change in mindset owing to the lack of opportunities in the IPL, he shed some light on how conversations with close aides, starting with his father, have helped him improve each day.

"It's a lot to do with people who have seen me play for 10 years now at different stages of my career. I am firstly very grateful to my father, who has been the backbone of my cricketing career. I have been discussing my batting with him and some coaches who I have worked with for 10-15 years."

"Small changes sometimes go unnoticed because of the moment, but when someone who is close to you notices even those differences, he puts that across to you. Whether it is conscious or not, these are some honest conversations you have to have with people who you trust. I'm not surprised that I've got the fifties, but I haven't got hundreds or double hundreds and that's the sort of standard I want to achieve."

While Gopal's worked hard on improving certain aspects of his batting, he's also made sure that his primary skill of troubling the best of batters with the ball is not put on the back burner.

Wrist spinners are at a premium in modern-age cricket, and Gopal realizes the need to perennially work on his variations to match the demands posed by shorter formats of the game.

"Being able to spin the ball from wide of the stumps, turn the googly and knowing when to use variations is something I am trying to improve. In a T20 or ODI, you have to keep the batsman guessing. I have the slider, leg spinner, top spinner and googly, four variations that I have in my armoury. I've worked on when to use which delivery and I'm glad it has paid off quite a few times."

Gopal was the best spinner on display in the 2022 Maharaja Trophy and the third-highest wicket-taker, with 16 wickets from 12 matches at an economy rate just shy of 8 RPO.

While a good Maharaja Trophy campaign has certainly strengthened Gopal's credentials ahead of the IPL 2023 Auction, the all-rounder is not even thinking of resting on past laurels for a second.

"There are a lot of IPL players who participate in the Maharaja Trophy, but when you actually look at the IPL, the level of cricket played is significantly better. You have to be skilful enough and tick those boxes tactically to deliver in crunch moments, there is nothing else that matters."

On the back of a top Maharaja Trophy season and important contributions for Karnataka in the SMAT and VHT, Gopal has proved that he's more than just a one-trick pony. With the IPL 2023 Auction less than a month away, the all-rounder could well be in quite some demand, now that he has many aces up his sleeve.