Learnt how to handle pressure and criticism: Indrajith on maiden IPL

MUMBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders wicketkeeper-batter Baba Indrajith acknowledged that his maiden IPL season did not go the way he wanted it to, but said that the learning was immense during the last two-and-a-half months.

The 27-year-old Indrajith, one of the four Tamil Nadu players to receive an IPL cap in the ongoing 15th edition, could amass only 21 runs in three innings. “I am happy [for the fact] that I got opportunities in my first year, but I could not deliver my best,” Indrajith, who made his League debut against Delhi Capitals in April, told DT Next.

“It (the IPL) was a great learning experience. The IPL is a big stage where we play in front of a crowd, so I learnt how to handle pressure in a better way.

Another thing that I learnt was how to handle criticism. When you do not perform [well] at a big stage like the IPL, you may feel low. People around you would say: ‘you could have done this, you could have done that’. I learnt how to handle such situations,” said Indrajith.

“I also understood how to prepare and train for a [big] competition. I was able to learn a lot from the greats in our dressing room,” added Indrajith, revealing that outgoing KKR head coach Brendon McCullum gave his players the freedom to take risks in crunch moments. “McCullum is a positive person. He coached us the way he played the game. He focuses more on tactics [when compared to technique]. He also focuses a lot on how to handle pressure – how to take decisions in such situations,” Indrajith explained.

Indrajith, who has been operating behind the stumps on a regular basis only since the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2021, said that he improved his wicketkeeping skills by working alongside tweakers Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine.

“Mystery spinners are the most difficult to read. Once I did that (read them) after hours and hours of training, my job became easier. Sam Billings knew that I started keeping regularly just last year, so he gave me a lot of inputs,” Indrajith added, hoping to implement the lessons learnt, in the next 12 months.