'I am focussed on playing long innings'

“It’s a special feeling to score your maiden hundred, and I am relieved it came finally after a long wait. Earlier, I used to struggle to convert forties into fifties and fifties into something bigger. But from this season onwards, I am determined to play at least 170-180 balls so that I have time to play long and score something big. That changed approach worked for me today and I am happy I delivered when the team needed it,” Binny told reporters here on Wednesday.

Binny replaced an injured CM Gautam, out with a sore knee suffered during a collision with Debashis Mohanty at Bangalore. “I also had chat with dad (Roger Binny), who told me to keep a positive frame of mind and not bother about how many matches I would play and external matters like that. It helped me today,” he said.

The right-hander also praised his partner Amit Verma, with whom he milked 155 runs for the sixth wicket. “Amit’s presence helped me as he allowed me to concentrate on my game and we rotated the strike well.”