It's about spending time in the middle: R Samarth

R Samarth was in his own little bubble for a good portion of Karnataka’s ‘nets’ on Tuesday. While the rest faced a variety of bowlers, the right-hand batsman stuck to throwdowns with a sidearm. Barring against a few in-swingers, he showed good poise.

Confident, he walked over to face the bowlers and shaped up just the same: beautifully. For someone who has seen runs evaporate over the last year or so, this must come as a relief. The 26-year-old is aware of the difference between stroking it well at ‘nets’ and grinding it out for each run when the game is at stake. Yet, he, like all others before and after him, hoped that the pendulum would swing his way.

“It’s all about spending some time in the middle,” said Samarth on the eve of Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy game against Himachal Pradesh at the SDNR Stadium in Mysuru from Wednesday. “It’s just a matter of getting to that 30 and then building on.”

Having been part of the side since 2013, Samarth has scored close to four thousand runs in 58 games and continues to be an integral part of the core, but with batsmen from the tier below staking claim, he will know better than to rely on previous performances.

“I am batting like I used to before. Last season things didn’t work out because I had a few adjustments to make, a few things (flaws) had crept in,” he explained when asked if the issues were technical. “Certain things like moving a little late. I was pushing at the ball. I wasn’t thinking of certain things that I should be doing or was doing before.”

Samarth also lauded the likes of Manish Pandey, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal for showing commitment to the State side despite busy international schedules.

“Their willingness to come here and keep doing this is inspirational,” he said. “These things (Ranji Trophy) will be lesser pressure, and lesser focus might be required when they come from there to here. But even after making that shift, the focus isn’t shifting. It’s something to learn from them.”