JOIN USBinny set for engrossing season at home
Having played majority of his Indian Premier League career with the Rajasthan Royals, Stuart Binny is excited to don the colours of his home team Royal Challengers Bangalore. Having worked on his game, the Karnataka all-rounder is geared up for what he thinks could be an engrossing season.
Following the two-year suspension of the Rajasthan franchise, Binny's name was back in the auction and RCB lapped up the 31-year old for his base price of Rs 2 crore. After his impressive season for the Royals in 2013, Binny is keen to play a key role in RCB's quest to win their maiden IPL crown.
"Things haven’t changed largely on how I play my game. This could be an exciting season. For me it was about hitting those areas which I couldn’t hit last year. Different teams bowl to you on different areas. I have learnt the strategies used by other teams on me. I will be just working on countering those strategies," explained Binny, on the sidelines of RCB's practice match here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.
Head coach Daniel Vettori had stressed on the fine balance in the RCB ranks due to the presence of Shane Watson and Binny and the Karnataka all-rounder said he was aware of his role in the team.
"Most of the teams use all-rounders in different situation. When it comes to me, it is about how much I can bowl in a game and at what number I can bat. At this point of time I don’t know whether I come in with the new ball or I come in after six overs. But I know I will be expected to contribute with both ball and bat and I am ready for the challenge," he said.
Binny said he won't be facing any competition from fellow all-rounder Watson. "I don’t think there is any competition since Watto falls in the foreign players category. I am not too worried about whether I will start in the playing 11. My role right now is to get as much practice as I can. I want to go out and perform well for my team, whenever I get an opportunity." Binny said a strong start was crucial if RCB were to fare well in the tournament.
"Our fortune is in our hands. We can't sit here at the start of the tournament and say we're going to reach the playoffs or finish on top of the table. It's all about starting well, hitting the ground with maximum preparation behind us, and that's what we've done. We've been practising for five days now. It's important to start well."
The all-rounder said he was excited to play in front of his home fans and credited former Indian captain and his Rajasthan Royals mentor Rahul Dravid for helping him throughout his career.
“I started my cricket at BUCC. Rahul bhai comes from BUCC and he was the one who encouraged us to play first division cricket. He helped me through my career. I always wanted to play for Bangalore ever since IPL started. But I hadn't had the opportunity. So when it happened in the auction, I was jumping out of my chair. I was really happy to be back at my home ground.”