Between five overs and five balls: Suryansh Shedge's reality

There are a lot of things about his T20 batting that Suryansh Shedge is certain about: his preparation, his mindset, his ambitions. The one thing he isn't certain about is when will he get to bat in a game – with five overs remaining or five balls left? That is assuming he will get to bat at all.

On good days, Shedge – and his ilk of batters who get slotted in as death-overs specialists in T20s – will get time to knock around before unleashing their powers. On more challenging days, they will be forced to jump in with 10-odd runs required off four balls. On the most testing days, their turn may never come.

For Mumbai in this Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he waited five times in vain out of nine games. When he did get the odd chance to bat, he failed to leave behind a mark.

It's a layered demand for a player like Shedge, who doesn't like to complicate his processes. The destructive powers that make death-over hitters sought-after also slot them into positions of uncertainty. His biggest strength – power-hitting – also becomes his greatest bane.

"The amount of pressure that comes with finishing a game, and the expectations, only we cricketers can feel," Shedge says. "Obviously you go in to bat in crunch situations, when the team needs you to step up. So sometimes you can get lost and start expecting some things from yourself."

Shedge found solace in the words of MS Dhoni after he failed to make use of a rare opportunity last season, when he was sent in as an Impact Substitute against Kolkata Knight Riders. With Punjab Kings at 74 for 5, Shedge walked in and was dismissed for a run-a-ball 4, the team bundled out for 111.

"That game, when our team was in trouble, I had a lot of expectations of myself," Shedge confessed. "I have taken my team out of those situations in domestic games. When I failed that day, I was really disappointed with myself."

Two weeks later he met Dhoni, who advised: when you're a finisher, you need to keep your emotions in check. It can't get high when you've done well, and go low when you don't.

"That's one change I'm trying to bring in my game, to keep my emotions in control, and not let it fluctuate. If that happens, it clouds your judgement."

The key lies in preparation. "The calmness and patience you get comes from the preparation," he says. "If your mind is not prepared, you will start to overthink. If you've done everything you could and get on the field with clarity, that gives you a lot of calmness. That work can only be done at practice."

A natural hard hitter, Shedge's preparation hasn't necessarily been about preparing for big hits. Over the past few months, training under Jatin Paranjpe, he has opened up a new avatar – playing red-ball cricket for the Under-23 Mumbai side, displaying both sides of his now evolved game: to hold fort as well as explode.

"My coaches always tell me: look at the scoreboard, because the scoreboard talks to you… The thing about opportunity is that it's not in my hands. The only thing in my hands is how I can be the better version of myself."

On Sunday evening, playing in the Indian Premier League, a big opportunity came his way. Having sat out in the first half of the league stage, he got only his second shot in the middle. In his first game, he spent 11 minutes at the crease but got only two balls to face. On Sunday, a different challenge: to arrest a rare top-order slide for Punjab Kings, he walked in during the seventh over. The scoreboard slipped to 47 for 5. This time, there was no scope to play second fiddle.

He took charge, taking down Manav Suthar for 26 runs in five balls, paving the way for Punjab Kings to reach 163 for 9 with his quickfire half-century.

His performance didn't end in a match-winning cause. But he will wake up hopeful that someday, even in the IPL, the spotlight will be firmly on him. It remains uncertain though what his role would look like. Another brisk 57? Or a last ball six? Or something else?

He will have to wait his turn to find his answers. Till then, his quest to get patient and find calmness continues.