Stuart Binny saying he needs more opportunities to get better
Bengaluru: His appearances for India have been sporadic and that is precisely the reason Stuart Binny endorses his Test captain Virat Kohli's opinion that a player needs to get more chances to prove his mettle at the highest level.
"As Virat said, if I get more opportunities, I would get better - that's very much true. It is not only more opportunities one gets, but also off-field preparation that helps," the 31-year-old Binny said on the second day of the camp for India probables ahead of the South Africa series.
Asked whether he has brought any changes in his game, the Karnataka veteran said that he hasn't made too many changes in skill work but made changes in terms of tackling mental pressure.
"I haven't made too many changes when it comes to skill work, but I have made a lot of changes when it comes to my game in my head," said Binny, who has played 5 Tests, 13 ODIs and 2 T20 Internationals in his short international career.
Binny added that the series will be a hard-fought battle and made it clear he prefers bowling with the new ball as he has the ability to swing it.
"We will be playing against a quality side, who are good in all formats of the game. It is going to be a great series. It is important that we start well. It will be a hard-fought series," Binny said.
Replying to a query, Binny said he prefers bowling with the new ball but enjoys bowling with semi-new and old ball too.
"Why I prefer to bowl with that new ball is because I can swing the new ball. I do enjoy bowling with semi-new and old ball - it brings in different variations," he added.
Asked what role Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Team Director Ravi Shastri want to see him adapt to, Binny said he is in the squad to contribute with both bat and bowl.
"It is pretty simple. I got to contribute with both bat and ball, which is why I am in he team," he said.
As far as his bowling is concerned, Binny said he know his role pretty well and what needs to be done in different situations.
"I have been spoken to about what I should be doing when it comes to bowling. I know my role exactly - it may differ sometimes. It depends when I bowl - whether early on or later parts of the game," he said.
Binny said he recognises the pressure that comes along with an India cap.
"International cricket is a lot of mental pressure. It is about dealing with situations which you may have faced in Ranji Trophy, but it is on a much larger and bigger scale, so you have to go out and do the same in international cricket as well," he said.
