#Assupol TuksCricket: Pillay's calmness helps Assupol Tuks players to be at their best

Posted on November 26, 2019

Jiveshan Pillay helped the Assupol TuksCricket team win the International Red Bull Campus Cricket Tournament with his unflappable approach as captain. 

In Dubai, it had been a case of when the going got tough, the captain refused to panic. 

The 20-year old and his "troops" have set their sights on winning another trophy from next week when they are competing in the USSA Tournament at Wits. Assupol Tuks has been victorious on the previous two occasions. 

The USSA Tournament holds fond memories for Pillay. Two years ago when he debuted, he played what he considers one of his best innings for Assupol Tuks.

"I scored 134 runs in a must-win game against Northwest which helped us to reach the final," explains Pillay.

During the recent Red Bull Tournament, Pillay was equally brilliant. He ended up being the best batsman scoring 245 runs in five games. He also had the distinction of being the only batsman to score a century.  

What was truly exceptional, apart from the runs he scored, was how Pillay took to captaining Assupol Tuks for the first time. His philosophy of captaincy is quite simple. Don't panic. 

"My biggest asset is my calmness. During any game when you are fielding, there might be a stage where the batsmen may score at will. It is easy to get angry when it happens. I don't as it serves no purpose.

"I must admit captaining Assupol Tuks is actually a breeze as my teammate's skills are unreal. As captain, my job basically boils down to deciding who has got to bowl when and making sure that I set astute field placings." 

Pillay describes him as being the forever student of cricket. 

"I often find myself thinking about the game. When we are playing, I won't hesitate to ask a player why he has done what he has done. That is how you learn. Cricket is not something you study, and then you know it all," explains the BCom Business Management student. 

During the Red Bull Tournament Pillay scored 109 runs (10x4 and 6x6) from 64 deliveries. In all five games, he hit 20 fours and 13 sixes.  

These statistics would indicate that he is quite an aggressive batsman, but then again, statistics tend never to tell the whole story. The Assupol Tuks player describes his batting prowess more to being smart. 

"Defining aggressive is important because most people tend to think it is about hitting one six after another. I am not that kind of batsman. My aggressiveness is that I look to score on each ball even if it is only a single run. As I am not the biggest guy, I got to think as to when I want to go for the big shots." 

 

- Author Wilhelm de Swardt

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