“300 to bohot log banate hain, 400 koi nahi banata”
Vidarbha’s Atharva Taide narrates a hilarious story on how the former India batter Wasim Jaffer inspired him to score big in the Cooch Behar Trophy Final that his side eventually won.
Taide didn’t score 400 but led the team by example, as he ended up getting a triple hundred in the contest.
After having an inspiring domestic season, Taide is now knocking at the doors of IPL. In an exclusive conversation with CricketNext, the Punjab Kings batter talked about the lessons from MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan, his role at the Punjab Kings; and spending time with the legends like Jaffer and Faiz Fazal.
How have the pre-season preparations been?
I had a very long and good domestic season for Vidarbha. We made it to the finals of the Ranji Trophy in this edition, which was a very big thing for us. Moving on to IPL, honestly I had just a couple of days to jump back to T20 format.
For me, it’s about the mental shift. We have been playing cricket for such a long time and this is not something (making the shift from red-ball to white-ball format) which is new for us. It’s also about how much physically fit you are. The fitness that we follow probably during Ranji Trophy is different to what IPL demands. I just worked on that and focused on adapting the change both mentally and physically.
Can you tell us about your role in Punjab Kings batting line up?
I think I have been very fortunate enough that the team has given me the clarity about my role in the side. As a player, this gives me a lot of confidence. They look at me as a batter in the top three positions and whenever I get a chance, I have to express myself. There’s not really any pressure on me that I have to go hammer and tongs right from the word go. I just have to play according to the situation and do whatever best is possible.
Playing under Shikhar Dhawan at PBKS and watching players like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma from close quarters, what have been your learnings when it comes to leadership as you have yourself led Vidarbha at Under-19 level and recently in white-ball tournaments?
So, I would like to break this question into two halves. First, whenever I meet or see players like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, I get a feel there’s a sense of calmness in them. I closely watch how they maintain themselves both on and off the field irrespective of what the situation is.
Also, they have a lot of situational awareness and the best example of this is MS. He knows how to react in a particular situation or how to read a particular player. With Virat, it’s about the energy that he brings on to the field. I think there can’t be anything better than that on a cricket field. If you can lift the team when the chips are down, that’s the best thing you can do for your side.
Talking about myself, I had a brilliant experience leading the senior side in domestic circuit for the first time. I’m really thankful to Vidarbha for handing me the role and keeping faith in me. We did well as a side. We topped the group in both the formats.
One thing I told the guys was that this is where our tournament starts (after the group stage). Once we qualify, that’s when our tournament begins. Our process is good, the culture in the team is fine, the vibe is good, and I believe, if we continue this process, some day or the other, we will be getting that championship.
When you have been playing senior cricket for six years, you become a senior player in the team. So yes, the team management also takes my feedbacks as and when required in red-ball format.
Shed some light on the lessons that you have got from Shikhar Dhawan, the batter.
I have been with Punjab Kings for the last three years. What I have learnt from him is the way he starts his innings. People expect you to go all guns blazing from the first ball, especially from the openers, which can’t be the thing. At times, the pitch has some help on offer for the bowlers and it’s not easy to hit. People have this opinion that Powerplay is a bit easy to play aggressive cricket which is not really the case. What I have learnt from Shikhar Dhawan is how to play closer to the body, how to start my innings. More than hitting the ball hard, I look to time it and find the gaps in the field.
The duration between the Ranji Trophy matches is not much. How do players manage their workout routines during that period?
During the tournament, we try to do at least one gym session every week. The duration of the games is four-five days, then you have to travel as well and then there’s a couple of days of practice at the venue followed by the fixture. This goes on for two – three months. But I feel that everybody who is playing at domestic level has to work on their fitness and we all put in that extra effort. For instance, if the team is batting, the bowlers go and have their workout session and same thing is with the batters.
Moreover, our season starts in March and IPL is a very big tournament. You know that you have to be 100 percent fit to perform in the IPL.
You did well in white-ball formats (scoring 302 runs in 7 matches in SMAT 2023/24 & 303 in 8 Vijay Hazare Trophy matches in 2023-24 season), and also scored hundreds in crucial junctures in Ranji Trophy (He struck 109 in Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Karnataka). Talk to us about your current batting form.
I will start with white-ball. With the start of the season, my only goal was to be the top run-scorer in India in both the formats (T20s and One days). I had this thing in mind that if I’m able to score good amount of runs, I will be in the limelight. With that, my focus was also to win matches for my team because if we qualify for the knockouts or probably beyond that, I would get more matches.
Same thing happened in the red-ball format as well. As you mentioned, my hundreds came in crucial fixtures. My game plan was always about playing according to the situation. When you try to score runs, you tend to put some pressure on yourself. I had stuck to this process.
Wasim Jaffer has been a part of Vidarbha setup in the past while Faiz Fazal is a huge name as well. What aspects of the game have you learnt from them?
I have played a lot of cricket with both of them. Wasim bhai is a legend of domestic cricket in India. He has been one of the greatest players in Ranji trophy and I have had the privilege of playing with him and had a few chats. But there is one conversation that’s etched in my memory.
When I was leading the side in Cooch Behar Trophy, we had made it to the finals and were up against MP. Overnight, on the second day, I was batting at 130. He (Jaffer) came to me, asked a few questions, and said ‘100 to bohot log banate hain but bada 100 koi nahi banata‘ (Scoring century is common but converting it into a daddy hundred is rare). At the end of Day 2, I was again unbeaten on 320. He came back to me and said ‘300 to bohot log banate hain, 400 koi nahi banata’ (laughs) (Scoring 300 is common, 400 is rare).
This is what I learn from a senior player or someone who has played for India. He will talk about dominating the opposition and being the best. One thing I learnt from him was that hunger to perform.
Talking about Faiz bhai, he has been a big ambassador of Vidarbha cricket, is so humble and modest. He has played over 15 years of First-Class cricket, so I have learnt lot of things from him.
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