In defence of Binny: India’s ‘seaming all-rounder’ deserves respect

Peter Cunha 21:52 06/09/2015
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  • Stuart Binny scored a crucial 49 in the final innings of the Sri Lanka tour.

    Last week, India ended a 22-year wait for a Test series win in Sri Lanka. Under new skipper Virat Kohli, the team bounced back from an excruciating loss in the first Test at Galle to win the next two in Colombo. They were worthy winners, owing a lot of their success to the team’s planning – and subsequent tweaking – coupled with methodic execution on the field.

    — Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) August 28, 2015

    Apart from Ravichandran Ashwin, who was the highest wicket-taker, and Kohli, who was the top run-getter, the visitors found some unlikely heroes in players such as Amit Mishra, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishant Sharma. However, following a series in which India fought as many battles on tactical plains as they did on the field, one man who deserves more than just a mention is Stuart Binny. Continually held in scorn by the Indian public for his apparent averageness, he proved to be India’s biggest problem-solver on the tour.

    Talk of Kohli’s fresh five-bowler strategy had dominated the build-up to the series. But after the defeat at Galle, which threw light on the risks of such an approach, the narrative shifted towards a need to find balance in the starting XI.

    Fears of India’s long tail being exposed came true when chasing 176 runs to win. Ajinkya Rahane, batting at number five, virtually started his innings with the tailenders. Knowing that the Indian tail is only a couple of wickets away lifted the opposition. It gave the Sri Lankan bowlers an added incentive to put in an extra shift on hot-and-humid days. Prior to that, insipid bowling from the erratic Varun Aaron and the listless Harbhajan Singh had also rendered a five-bowler approach ineffective. The Indian line-up appeared to be at least a batsman and a bowler short. The need of the hour was an all-rounder to provide balance.

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    In came Binny to provide an unspectacular yet effective solution. The “seaming all-rounder”, as Kohli calls him, wasn’t originally included in the touring squad but was flown in after the first Test. His placebo-like presence transformed the look of the Indian side, providing much-needed comfort to both batsmen and bowlers.

    Binny batted at number six and although a crucial 49 in the final innings of the tour was his only real contribution, he chipped in to build small partnerships. More importantly, he allowed first Saha and then Naman Ojha to come in at number seven and gave much-needed depth to the Indian batting. This also allowed the likes of Ashwin and Mishra to play without the burden of doubling up as batsmen – which resulted in them contributing handy runs to the total.

    The all-rounder’s biggest contribution though came with the ball. He bowled tight, probing spells as India’s fifth bowler and was unlucky not to pick up more than three wickets. He bowled in three of the four innings and his series figures read: 40-10-117-3 – which is a more than acceptable return.

    In the battle of the fifth bowlers, Binny helped India steal a march on the opposition on the seaming tracks of Colombo. Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews’ reluctance to bowl himself for long spells took too much out of his two frontline pacers – which was especially evident in Dhammika Prasad’s fitness problems. Mathews bowled only nine percent of Sri Lanka’s overs. On the other hand, Binny’s ability to bowl long, economical spells – he bowled 14 percent of India’s overs – allowed ample rest for Ishant and Umesh Yadav, helping them to deliver decisive bursts.

    Binny has long been the target of unjust mockery. But is it really his fault that he is the best bowling all-rounder in the country? For a proud nation which revels in its cricketing talent and standards, it has been hard to digest that a seemingly ‘ordinary’ talent (though this ignores his impressive first-class record) has made it through the ranks. The frustration of not producing better all-rounders has been a part and parcel of Indian cricket since the exit of Kapil Dev but this, according to fans, is the lowest of lows.

    That his father is Roger Binny, former Indian cricketer and member of the selection committee, doesn’t help him alter the public’s perception. India is a land where nepotism is rampant in all sectors and cynicism comes naturally. It is also a nation where the public jumps to conclusions in a jiffy and prefers flamboyance over doggedness in its celebrities. In this regard, Binny has already failed in their eyes.

    The selection debate around him has come up time and again. Before the tri-series Down Under earlier this year, ODI skipper MS Dhoni had to clear the air: “Irrespective of the debate [over Binny’s selection], the best seaming all-rounder of India has been picked”. In the two matches he played, he was India’s most impressive performer and it made sense for India to have a seaming all-rounder in their World Cup squad. Yet, after the World Cup selection, the selectors were forced to reveal that Binny senior wasn’t in the meeting room when the topic of Binny junior’s selection came up.

    The 31-year-old’s international career has already seen some extreme highs and lows. On his ODI debut in New Zealand, Dhoni bowled Binny for only one over – inviting speculation on whether the selectors, and not the captain, wanted him in the playing XI. Even Ambati Rayudu bowled three overs in that game, adding to Binny’s humiliation.

    Six months later, he produced astonishing figures of 6/4 – the best ever by an Indian in ODIs – in a low-scoring contest against Bangladesh. “But it’s only Bangladesh,” whispered the Indian public. Earning the respect of the fans will always be an uphill struggle for Binny. There are many players waiting in the wings to take up his spot – those who bat better and bowl better but none who do both well enough.

    If there was ever a series to help the fans understand the value of using an all-rounder, even if not a world-class one, it was the tour to Sri Lanka. As long as Kohli’s focus remains on picking up wickets and playing with five bowlers, Binny will be an integral part of India’s near future. Let’s hope the fans give him a fair chance.

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