Tips From Sachin Tendulkar, Power Hitting Session With Kieron Pollard: How Cameron Green is Expanding his Range

It was business as usual at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on eve of the IPL 2023 contest between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians. Players from both sides were taking a hit on the main square and officials of the DDCA (Delhi and District Cricket Association) were busy attending to growing calls for match passes.

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After a decent hit, Rohit Sharma stood by the boundary cushion near the staircase leading to the Virat Kohli pavilion and spent a lot of time with officials from the local state association and obliged the waiting fans with selfies and autographs. Suryakumar Yadav too was done with his hit and rushed to the dressing room for a little cool down before commencing sprints under lights.

Just when Rohit exited the nets, in walked Cameron Green with a clear plan – expand the range of his shots and work on power hitting. Keeping a close eye on him, and also feeding him deliveries, was former MI stalwart and current batting coach Kieron Pollard. After every big hit, which was in plenty, Pollard shared his feedback with the talented right-hander and would nod in approval every time deliveries sailed into the stands. Anything pitched up was dealt with severely but when the length was pulled back ever so slightly, Green couldn’t get into the right position to make a good connection and miscued a few.

After the lengthy session, both Pollard and Green had a little simulation near the bowler’s mark where the West Indian was seen explaining to him the different positions for different lengths. The 23-year-old, who was bought by MI at the mini-auction for Rs 17.50 crore, stood like an obedient student when one of the most destructive batters in world cricket was serving him a masterclass on power hitting. When the conversation and the session ended, Green rushed upstairs and Pollard started one of his many sprints in the company of Surya.

The tip from Sachin Tendulkar

Still early days, Green is yet to set the stage on fire in the Indian Premier League. The all-rounder scored 5 in the opening game vs RCB and was dismissed for 12 in the fixture against CSK. In a video posted by Mumbai Indians, Sachin Tendulkar visited the MI nets ahead of the CSK fixture and was seen having a conversation with both Green and Pollard.

On eve of the game against Delhi Capitals, Green revealed his conversation and the tips he got from the Little Master.

“Obviously whenever Sachin talks you listen. He was talking about maybe in red ball cricket the bat is slightly closed face to keep the balls on the ground but in white ball potentially opening up the face of the bat helps to access balls on the off-side and maybe the trajectory as well. So that was the talk," Green told reporters in New Delhi.

The tip made an instant impact in the nets on Monday as the right-hander played some booming drives between the long-off and covers region and was getting in good positions to exploit both sides of the wicket. The bigger hits were mostly towards the leg side but he was generating decent power and finding good areas with his drives and lofted hits towards the off-side.

Price tag pressure

Even the best have felt the heat of the price tag in the cash-rich league but Green is facing “no pressure at all" and is enjoying the atmosphere created by the MI support staff.

“Definitely no pressure at all. After the conversations, I have had with the support staff and people higher up, there’s no real pressure at all," said the all-rounder.

In his first IPL year, the Australian, who is the most expensive player from his country in the tournament, is enjoying cricket at the moment and the whole experience of being part of the best T20 league in the world.

“It’s just about enjoying my cricket. It’s about enjoying the experience of the IPL. Obviously, it is my first time. It might take a little bit of time for me to adjust to it. But there’s no pressure at all," he added.

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Workload management

Green is a vital cog in the Australian set-up across formats and this is an important year for his international team with the Ashes and 50-over World Cup ahead. While most teams, including India, are following a cautious approach with their core players, the 23-year-old has not received any instructions from Cricket Australia on workload management.

“There is no workload management. I have the all-clear for the whole tournament. Fortunately, it’s just four overs. The body is feeling really good at the moment.

“It is a big year. The first step is accepting that and secondly, around the Australian team you get energy from people you know; over here there is new energy with new friends I have made," said Green.

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