NEW DELHI: Tennis-ball cricket has long been a breeding ground for aspiring cricketers, providing a solid foundation for developing their skills from a young age. Dinesh Lad, Rohit Sharma‘s childhood coach and a former cricketer himself, emphasizes the importance of this format in a cricketer’s formative years.
According to Lad, tennis-ball cricket is a challenging sport that helps players, especially batsmen, improve their shots, such as the pull and square cut. He believes that practicing with a tennis ball initially aids in honing skills and adapting to the leather ball later on.
“The league has been very exciting so far. Seeing the players play in ISPL, I can only wish if such a league existed in our time as well. Tennis-ball cricket is a difficult sport and like many, I also started my journey playing tennis-ball cricket. I like to train budding players with a tennis ball initially so as to help them hone their skills,” Lad said .
Lad recalls Rohit Sharma’s practice sessions with a wet tennis ball, which helped him master his straight and pull shots. This early exposure to tennis-ball cricket played a crucial role in shaping Rohit’s batting prowess.
“Tennis-ball cricket is vital for the growth of a cricketer. Most cricketers start playing with a tennis ball and you can play with it during the rainy season as well. It helps a cricketer better their shots, especially the batsmen to better their pull-shots, among others,” he added.
While acknowledging the potential of ISPL to produce future international stars, Lad highlights the league’s significance for batsmen in particular. The tennis ball’s behavior allows them to refine their shot-making abilities, especially when playing horizontal bat shots.
“He used to practice with a wet tennis ball; it would skid down the lane. The way Rohit plays straight shots and then pull shots, I think it was his practice with a tennis ball that helped him better his shots,” Lad said.
“There are already various tournaments in leather ball cricket, but it is great to see a tennis ball league like ISPL being organized for the second consecutive year. Credit goes to Suraj Samat for initiating this league. There was a time we felt like tennis-ball cricket was over. I also used to bowl well during my days with a tennis ball, but my performance got affected when I transitioned to a leather ball. I think now, it’s a good opportunity for the players to do better as the league progresses,” he concluded.
