South African Dale Steyn, one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, doesn’t need any introduction. A giant among pace bowlers, who was able to win Test matches single-handedly on the subcontinent, he is now in a new role as the bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad. Steyn spoke to Moneycontrol on a range of issues related to modern fast bowling. Edited excerpts:
This is your first serious assignment as coach. How has the ride been so far?
I have really enjoyed it, to be honest with you. Once I became the senior player in the Proteas set-up or with the teams I was playing for in the IPL, PSL, Big Bash, Sri Lanka Premier league or anywhere in the world, I was already starting to play this role (coaching/guiding).
From your personal experience, do you feel that T20 is very irreverent towards the reputation of big players? Whenever Dale Steyn used to bowl in a Test match or even in ODIs, there used to be a sense of fear and respect but in T20 even a newcomer will fancy his chances against a Steyn?
No one cares for reputations because the game is so condensed. And you can’t (be worrying about your reputation) and it works vice versa. You also get the young bowlers and they are bowling to big players… in our days it used to be Sachin (Tendulkar) or today it is Virat Kohli or AB de Villiers (who has retired) or Liam Livingstone. The young bowlers are saying like I respect you as a player, as a human and I am not going to scream in front of you, but I still want to get you out. And batters are also saying the same thing — I respect you a lot but I have got just three balls to play batting at number 7 and I will try to score as many and I am going to take you on. So, I think it kind of works both ways. If you are happy to accept that then you are fine.
The IPL is abuzz with pace sensation Umran. Did you expect that he would be such a sensation? I read in one of your interviews that you were looking forward to work with senior Indian players like Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and T. Natarajan…
I knew he was here because we retained him. We had discussions with the SRH management before the auction about whom to retain. Umran is amazing as a raw talent with extreme pace. He is so fast and young, so you need somebody there to guide him along. So, guys like Bhuvi and Natarajan are important for him.
Do you think Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is back at his best?
I think he has got goals he wants to achieve. And I think he is ticking them off quite beautifully. It’s very hard to say that somebody is at his best. What is being at your best? I don’t judge them. Right now, I think he is very happy (with the way he is bowling). I have spoken to him. He has high goals and that is great to know. He is achieving them one by one.
When Dale Steyn speaks to a youngster like Umran Malik, it can be taken as gospel. Do you feel that sometimes young talent can’t question a big name like you? How do you navigate this kind of situation when the young Umrans are in awe of your reputation?
Straightway, the basic thing to do is to bridge the gap. I think there is no difference or hierarchy (in SRH). The first thing I try to do is to ensure that they don’t call me the coach! I want to be at everyone’s level. What I say is not the truth and it’s not the way it needs to be done (all the time and by everyone) but just one version of doing things. I am just sharing information that has been shared to me. What worked for me may not necessarily work for the next person. The key thing is to have great relationships. If you can have a good relationship and show you are human and manage to connect personally (with players), you can communicate a lot better and move forward. I play table tennis with the guys; I eat with them. I go out of my way. That way I feel like when we are talking, we can be a lot more honest with each other. We can find ways to improve that way. I have never looked at myself as someone who is above someone else.
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