Ravi Kumar eyeing successful switch to red ball cricket

A key member of the under-19 World Cup winning Indian team, left-arm seamer Ravi Kumar is eager to put in the extra effort to adapt to the red ball game successfully in the forthcoming Ranji Trophy season.

The Kolkata-born Ravi, who lived with his parents in Aligarh before returning to his place of birth to pursue his cricket dream, is delighted to be part of the current Bengal Ranji Trophy side.

“It will be nice to play for Bengal. I need to work hard and continue to perform. In order to change from white ball to red ball cricket, I need to change my mindset and learn how to be more patient. Skillwise I need to be impressive,” Ravi told The Hindu on Friday.

Looking back at the World Cup win, Ravi said, “We have seen tough times. There was less time for practice, but the coaches shared their experience. They had a big role in this win. We had just 11 players, including one injured, for one match (against Ireland). It changed our mindset, improved our understanding and brought in team unity.”

Competition with Bawa

His interesting race with Raj Bawa for a five-wicket haul in the final against England was another instance of team work.

“I was very happy for Raj. I prayed for his success as it was for the team’s cause. I was happy with my four as I had provided important breakthroughs,” said Ravi, who claimed 10 wickets in the tournament.

Ravi, who admires M.S. Dhoni for his ability to handle pressure well, said he needed to improve his game to succeed at the top level. “I have to work on my strength, accuracy and pace (now around 135kmph). More experience will make me a better bowler.”

Ravi’s childhood coach Arvind Bhardwaj, who spotted the southpaw at a tennis ball match, has high hopes from his ward.

“Ravi’s strength is he pitches the ball up and makes the batsman play. He learnt in-swing, out-swing and cutters quickly.

“He will gather confidence by playing more matches and his pace will increase as he grows muscles. He can go on to play at the top level for a long time,” said Arvind.