The talent in TN Premier League is outstanding, feels Brett Lee
Brett Lee has been roped in to mentor the Ruby Kanchi Warriors in the inaugural edition of the India Cements Tamil Nadu Premier League. He addressed the media about his association with the Warriors, Indian fast bowling, Australians struggling to play spin among other things. Excerpts:
How does it feel to be in Chennai and to be a part of the Ruby Kanchi Warriors side?
It is an absolute pleasure to be here for Ruby Kanchi Warriors. I’ve been watching their progress in the last couple of games. It is nice to be here and I am looking forward to the rest of the tournament.
What is your plan as a mentor?
I think the first thing is to listen to what the players want to learn. It’s a great learning curve for everybody involved. I can learn off them too, what they’re going through in their careers. I can pass on a lot of knowledge that I’ve learned throughout my career and that has been passed on to me through Glenn McGrath or Dennis Lillee, who are all great players.
I’ll try to be there in the situations from a bowler’s point of view where I can work on tactics and different areas to bowl. I want to make sure that I enjoy working with what I’ve been told is a great team.
Do you think this is a good initiative by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA)?
I think it’s a fantastic initiative. The fact that you’ve got these domestic players who have a chance to go on and one day represent their country is something great. They are doing what they love doing - playing cricket in a fantastic format that is Twenty20 cricket. They are doing it on a big stage and in front of good crowds.
What prompted you to join the Kanchi team?
The Ruby Kanchi Warriors were looking for a mentor. I guess our paths crossed through Star Sports and here we are today. I thought if I’m going to be here anyway I might as well pass on my knowledge and work with a local franchise.
Do you see yourself coaching an IPL franchise in the future?
It’s something that I won’t rule out. It’s definitely not at the forefront of what I want to do. It’s great to be a mentor, bowling coach or advisor with the Ruby Kanchi Warriors. I’m enjoying being a commentator and giving it back to cricket.
How strong do you think the local talent is, to become international pace bowlers?
I’ve always said that in any type of sport, you have to be physically and mentally strong. You have got to perform at the top level. This is a perfect entrée in what could be a successful career and there is obviously a chance to represent their country. I think it’s a great tournament and initiative and I reckon that we’ll see a lot of young emerging players who will one day go on to represent their country.
How should fast bowlers from Tamil Nadu train?
The issue we’ve got with fast bowlers nowadays is that a lot of guys get injured. I think the training hasn’t been correct – they either over-train or under-train. You got different squads that try and bowl their bowlers into the ground while others will only let them bowl 20 balls per training session.
I’ll be passing on the techniques that I’ve learnt. I do a lot of gym work with F45 gyms which is starting up here in India. I think it’s a perfect example for the best way to train to be a fast bowler. Because you’re not doing heavy height, you’re doing light weights in high repetition to get strong.
As a bowler from Chennai, you don’t have to be a big strong bowler. It’s about technique and having the right muscle mass.
How would you rate the league till now?
It has been very good and I think the talent is outstanding. I like to watch things live. So I’m looking forward to being in the dug-out, being in the commentary box and watching the talent live. I know that the talent will be excellent.
Describe your interactions with the team
I need to have a look at the Warriors and see how they play. I met a few of the players this morning. I met the captain and met Shah Rukh Khan who is a very funny lad. He’s a bit taller than SRK (laughter).
Who is your favourite Indian bowler out of the current lot?
I like Jasprit Bumrah. Yes, his action is different. I feel he can definitely become a lot faster if he can fix his front arm. But then, that works for him. So you wouldn’t get a lot of bowlers who would copy his action. His action is as unique as Jeff Thomson’s, a bit like a wound-up spring.
I’ve been impressed with the way he has bowled because he has got good pace and I like his aggression. We’ve seen some wonderful bowlers from India throughout the years and I’ve played against Zaheer Khan or Ishant Sharma. We now need to find the next fast Indian bowler which hopefully I’ll be able to help with.
Do you think India should use neutral wickets against New Zealand?
When you tour India, no matter whether you’re Australian, Kiwi or West Indian, you know you are going to get low, slow wickets which suit Indian players. I think they should go about the way they have always gone about their wickets and prepare the traditional Indian wicket which will suit Indian players.
Recently Australia has struggled against spin in the sub-continent. What has gone wrong?
Once again I think it’s because of the turning wickets. We don’t have a lot of experience as Australian cricketers on low, slow wickets while growing up. To me it’s a matter of us learning as players and the more experience they can get in the sub-continent, the better it’s going to be for the batsmen.
The bowlers do a pretty good job in such tournaments. Batsmen from overseas have traditionally struggled on Indian wickets because they’re not used to the turn. But that’s all part of playing on foreign wickets.
Australia is not the bowling power-house it was before. Any reason why?
We are going through that transitional phase in Australia now. We haven’t got a Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Michael Kasprowicz, Andy Bichel or a Jason Gillespie to mention a few. We’re seeing the likes of Mitchell Johnson move away from cricket. We’ve seen some other fast bowlers come and go.
Now it’s up to the young guys to stand up. I think someone like a Pat Cummins, who’s got great pace once he’s fully fit, has a lot to offer. Mitchell Starc is bowling really well. It’s tough being a fast bowler but they have to find a group of young fast bowlers that will then carry the mantle for five to ten years.