If you can play Test cricket, you can adapt to the shorter formats easily: Narendra Hirwani

Former India international Narendra Hirwani looks very keen to pass on the knowledge and experience to his younger protégés who currently enhancing their skills in the spin bowling camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). The 47-year-old leg-spinner, who has a first-class career that spanned over two decades, is in charge of BCCI’s spin bowling camp, which commenced last week.

Speaking to BCCI.tv in an interview, Hirwani spoke about his plans for the participants of the camps.

The camp, which has eighteen talented spinners including the likes of Karn Sharma, Parvez Rasool and Bhargav Bhatt along with young boys from the U-16 and U-19 teams, will be divided into two groups for better guidance.

Hirwani says, WE have made a different group for the U16 and U-17 boys. It’s because the approach towards them is bit different. We have to work with them on the technical and the mental aspects of the game whereas with senior boys such things are not required. “

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“With the senior boys, the focus is largely on shaping the right mentality apart from brushing out slight technical issues.”

Hirwani, who stunned the world in 1988 by picking up 16 wickets on his Test debut against West Indies in Chennai, goes on to add that learning how to bowl in the longer version of the game is the most important thing.

“If you can play Test cricket, you can adapt to the shorter formats easily. It is like a singer who is classically trained — he can render a brilliant version of any bhajan,” Hirwani says.