Stuart Binny hopes to cement spot in the Indian playing XI

A first glance at Stuart Terence Roger Binny playing cricket, can have anyone, mistake him for an experience campaigner in his prime. Yet the 31-year old all-rounder from Karnataka, is just an infant in Indian cricket.

Having played just four Tests and eleven ODIs for India, Binny aims to represent the country more often, thus fulfilling the duties of a leading all-rounder in the squad.

In his own words, Binny considers himself to be a limited-over specialist and was even the cynosure of all eyes with his incredible performances in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League.

He has been representing the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL since 2011 and has proven himself to be a useful all-rounder in the team.

The Karnataka lad has been selected to the Indian team to play South Africa in the limited-overs format, starting next month. Binny will look to impress in the series and cement his place in the squad. Currently, he is toiling hard in the fitness assessment camp being held in the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

He says he likes to learn from cricket every day and also hopes for more opportunities to represent India.

“The way I look at it, every day I play, I want to learn something from the game, as Virat (Kohli) said, yes, the more opportunities I get, the better I’ll get. But I feel it also has to come from within, especially the preparation bit like focus, time spent in the gym, or on the field on your skills. The preparation off the field helps,” Binny was quoted saying by Wisden India.

Like other cricketers, Binny too feels that he changes his approach towards the game more often, to help improve himself. Ever since that dream spell against Bangladesh a year ago, where he grabbed a career-best 6-wicket haul, Binny has had a roller-coaster journey in cricket.

“International cricket is a bit different when it comes to pressure situations,” he said. “I haven’t made too many changes when it comes to skill-work, but I have made a lot of changes when it comes to my game in my head. International cricket has a lot of mental pressure, which you have faced in Ranji Trophy as well.”

About his position as an all-rounder, Binny likes to contribute with both the bat and ball, as he has shown us all, more often than not, in the IPL. His timely all-round display have helped his teams, Karnataka and Rajasthan Royals in crunch situations and Binny hopes to emulate similar performances for the Indian team.

“My role may differ sometimes, depending on how early I bowl in the game. But it’s pretty simple. I have to contribute with both bat and ball. That’s why I am in the team. I’ve done it for Karnataka, so I have to do it with the Indian team as well”, he concluded.