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Sriram ready for another innings

By Our Sports Reporter

BANGALORE Sept. 4. His bat remains a prolific weapon in domestic cricket. And when he notched two tons for India A during its recent tour of England, Sridharan Sriram made it obvious that he is ready for another tilt at International cricket.

"Scoring centuries at Test venues like the Edbagston and the Oval was a very satisfying experience. In England, more than the opposition you are often fighting the conditions — one moment it is bright and sunny and at another moment it is cloudy and overcast and the ball starts moving. Even when you are batting at 50 or 60 you just cannot relax. Some of their bowlers are sharp but most of them are line and length bowlers and you have to be disciplined while batting against them,'' Sriram told the media during the course of the preparatory camp for probables at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday.

The recent stint in England did suffer a false start as an injury kept him sidelined for the initial period of the tour. "It was unfortunate that I got injured and missed three weeks of the tour. I am very grateful to the coach and manager for letting me stay on and in the end the tour proved to be a fruitful experience,'' the Tamil Nadu southpaw said.

Consistency has been his hallmark over the last few seasons and Sriram believes that he has evolved ever since his last stint with the National team in a few one-dayers. "I am a far more mature player than when I played for the country. I believe in myself a lot more, I am confident. As for the past I have left it behind,'' he said.

The doughty opener however harbours no illusions about his bowling skills. It is a turnaround for a cricketer who started out purely as a left-arm spinner. "I am working on my bowling but I don't consider myself as a frontline spinner. But I can contribute to the team. Yes, I did start out as a spinner and there are no excuses for the way I have changed. But to be honest I look at myself as moving up the ladder as a batsman,'' he said.

Runs in the longer version of first class cricket has only increased his appetite for runs in one-day cricket too. "I have about 24 first class centuries in about 77 games and statistics would suggest that I do well in the four-day format but I have done well in one-dayers too. Last season I was the highest scorer in the Deodhar Trophy and in the South Zone one-dayers and I am sure it is a step in the right direction,'' he said.

Looking ahead, Sriram said, "I am looking at the Challengers and other side games. I need to keep scoring runs and leave the rest to the selectors. And if I can also contribute as a bowler I will be more than happy.''

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