Powering through pressure: Nellai Royal Kings's Sanjay Yadav

R Sanjay Yadav has been having a dream run in the TNPL this season. Turning out for Nellai Royal Kings, the Krishnagiri resident has in the recent six matches scored 322 runs at an average of 161 in his kitty with 28 sixes, the most in the tournament. He has scored an unbeaten century against Trichy and has three fifties to his credit in the TNPL. He has also taken six wickets.

Sanjay has combined well with his senior partner B Aparajith and has registered a couple of century stands in the TNPL, which is unique. “I am happy to contribute to the team. We have a wonderful team atmosphere. The players and coaches are in a very good and positive frame of mind. We are all enjoying our stint with the team. We wish to make it to the final and  then take it from there,’’ said a modest Sanjay from Coimbatore.

With Vijay Shankar recovering from a surgery and requiring another three months to be back in action, and Washington Sundar in the scheme of things for India in white-ball cricket, Sanjay has an opportunity to make an impression as an all-rounder. People who are following Tamil Nadu cricket believe that Sanjay will have a large role to play in TN cricket this season in white-ball cricket.

‘’Sanjay has been fabulous in the TNPL this season. He has been batting well and also making contributions with the ball. He is already in the scheme of things in white ball cricket for Tamil Nadu. This TNPL experience will do a lot of wonders to his self-confidence and I am sure he will use that when he gets an opportunity to play for Tamil Nadu,’’ said M Venkataramana, coach of Tamil Nadu.

What separated Sanjay from the other players in this TNPL is power hitting, which was clean, and a delight to watch. ‘’I worked hard on my power-hitting. At every given opportunity, be it at my place in Hosur, with my TNPL team at their camp or with the IPL team I practised clean hitting. In white-ball, you need to play the attack from the word go and if you are able to connect the ball well and clear the ropes, often, it is a bonus,’’ revealed the Mumbai Indians player.

“Pressure is part of every level of the game. I do not go to bat with a preconceived mind. I have self-belief and this helps me get out of tricky situations. Once you enjoy what you are doing, it is easy to handle pressure,’’ he shared.

TN chief coach M Venkataramana believes that Sanjay must tighten his bowling a bit in order to be more effective in the slam bang version of the game. With heavy bats and shorter boundaries, spinners are the receiving end in the T20 format. “All the coaches have helped me evolve as a spinner. I am bowling well at the moment in the TNPL. I also do self-analysis and I know in white-ball cricket the tighter you bowl it is better. I try to ensure that I do give the length or width for the batsman to play the shots,’’ said Sanjay, insisting that he will perform whatever role he gets in Tamil Nadu cricket, the coming season.