Why Jonny Bairstow may be the surprise star of IPL 9

Jonny Bairstow – The eccentric gift of the England cricket team

It is always refreshing to watch young people take the stage that they have been given by the scruff of the neck and wow the world. The energy, passion and the sheer talent is a joy to behold. Such has been the case with Jonny Bairstow—the eccentric gift of the England cricket team.

His debut first-class game resonated the type of player that he is. A paltry score of 25 in the first innings was topped off with a fine, fine knock of 82 unbeaten that went in vain as Somerset chased down the target of 296 with 4 wickets in hand.

Bairstow’s innings was special because it was his innings that gave Yorkshire a good chance to win the game. None of his teammates could cough up more than 30 runs, while he, at just 19 years of age, stood strong like a mountain in a hailstorm.

The fans knew that they were witnessing the beginning of a special player. And he indeed is.

A staggering first-class strike rate

A look at his stats in the domestic this season works as a testament to that. His average in the first-class this season is an astonishing 84.92 with 1189 runs under his belt in just 11 games. What stands out, though, and is the cause of this article is his strike-rate—he has scored at a quick rate of 76.41 runs-per-100 balls.

Though, it wasn’t always like this as he had struggled in the past with his batting—delaying his explosion to the scene by some years.

In Jason Gillespie’s column for the Guardian, he revealed that the secret to Bairstow’s insane form is that none of his coaches at Yorkshire give him advice on his technique unless he asks for it. All they do is give reviews of his innings and the results are apparent.

However, he hasn’t, so far, been able to replicate his domestic form in the international circuit, but he has shown glimpses of his hard-hitting swashbuckling approach in the few games that he did.

If one has seen him bat in both the domestic and international sectors, they could perhaps the get the feeling that he tries a more cautious approach at the highest level. In the county, he is more expressive—fearless, it can be said—when playing his shots.

The reason for that might be that he is among the first names in the Yorkshire XI and knows that regardless of a bad game here and there, he won’t be dropped any time soon. For the England national team, however, he doesn’t have that luxury and the flamboyance takes a hit.

What Bairstow can offer to the IPL and vice-versa

Bairstow might not agree with that—only a few players would admit of being afraid of losing a spot in the team—but he is only human after all and factors like this play within the head.

The best place, then, for him to flourish while playing against international standard level bowling attacks and not worry about a place in the team is the Indian Premier League.

While he wasn’t bought by any team in this year’s IPL, there is a good chance that he might feature in 2016—and he would most likely be the best surprise buy of the edition.

In the IPL, with a lucrative contract in his hand, he wouldn’t have to worry about losing the place in the team because as much an important tournament as the IPL is, players prefer representing their country more than being in the playing XI of an IPL team (note, the term used here is ‘playing XI’).

So when he goes on to the pitch to bat, the fearless factor would come in to play and that will help him play his natural game. Concurrently, he will also be facing top-level bowlers in almost every game, helping him even further when he faces them once again in the international circuit.

A look at most of Bairstow’s dismissals would faintly reveal that the barrier lies within his head and not technique. Whenever he seemed restrained, be it for whatever reason, he didn’t last long. In the IPL, given the T20 format and lesser intimidation about a place in the team, he won’t hold back while playing his shots and hence he would be fluent.

The Englishman might not have the best of techniques, but he really doesn’t need one; for if Virender Sehwag has taught us anything, it is that a reflexive hand-eye coordination can take a batsman a long way—and Jonny Bairstow excels at that.

And the IPL is the ideal springboard to launch into the international phase—just ask Shane Watson.