Monank Patel: Making the T20 grind great again

Monank Patel: Making the T20 grind great again

In T20s, it's a nightmare for batters to find themselves stuck in first gear, especially during the powerplay. Add to that a soaring asking rate and the pressure compounds exponentially. But Monank Patel is quietly making that grind in T20s great again.

He scripted a tale of struggle, valor, and heartbreak. He found himself in a deep early on, only to gladiate his way back into the contest with sheer will. He continued his bittersweet romance with the Texas Super Kings this season.

"It is my template to find a boundary in the first 10 balls of my innings but that didn't happen. I was playing under lights after a year. Adam Milne was cranking it up at 90 mph. Playing that speed with the new ball is tough business if you don't do that regularly – which we don't at the Associate level."

Monank's innate ability to summon his zen mode in moments of desperation defines him as a player. His workman-turned-wonderman innings are a testament to his dogged, phlegmatic mindset under pressure.

"I try hard to stick to the routine. Keep my top hand tight, keep my head balanced, watch the ball until the very last moment. Then focus on the partnership. People talk about switching on and off when not on strike. That doesn't work for me."

"When I was 3 off 11 balls, I was able to hear what the crowd was saying: Patel maar yaar. There can be a tendency to think what the people might be thinking on TV. I wasn't getting beaten, it wasn't like everything was going to the keeper. It was hitting my bat. I was just consoling my instincts that it's fine."

Monank's focus was on what he was going to do off the next 15 balls. What do you want to do until the time out. Watch the ball hard and try to hit the ball hard on the ground. Not watch the scoreboard, just do what was discussed and we were 10 overs off 80.

Monank eventually unleashed his devastating side after the time out, clobbering 33 off 11 deliveries in a particular phase of his innings. But this self-belief in believing the process of the slow burn to check into the fifth gear stems from the apparatus he carries as a batsman. Water-tight technique and immaculate basics.

Technique, in the life of a modern batter, is much like an educational degree. Especially now, as the demands of the game increasingly push players to enter the 'business' of the high-risk, high-reward world of T20 cricket.