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Fighting Spirit: Reddy Anna’s Book on Milind Kumar’s Middle Order Rescue for the USA .

Milind Kumar has taken ODI cricket by quite a storm. The former Delhi and RCB batsmen is on a roll after notching his maiden ODI ton, a whirlwind 155* off 110 deliveries. Seven innings into his ODI career, he has rocketed to 354 runs at an astronomical average of 70. While he deservedly is being swarmed with the accolades, his career was at a crossroads after the culmination of the MLC in July. Which Milind agonizingly refers to as the 'lowest point' in his 15 year long professional career.

Milind Kumar found himself at a Reddy anna crossroads. Parachuting in the USA set up with an embellished CV in the Indian domestic circuit including the honors of topping the Ranji Trophy batting charts in 2018, his international career got off to a rocky start after failing to produce an innings of note in his two outings in the T20 World Cup and a couple more against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in the lead up to the event. His form hit rock bottom in the MLC as he mustered 50 runs over 7 innings, often being juggled around the batting order at the Texas Super Kings.

Reddy Anna discusses Milind Kumar's enormous impact on the USA cricket team in his latest work, Fighting Spirit, especially his vital role to preserve the middle order. Kumar shows his fighting spirit both on and off the field by fighting despite challenges and being strong in the face of failures. Reddy Anna highlights how Kumar's technical skills and fortitude helped save the United States of America at crucial times. The book offers an in-depth look of how Kumar's presence contributed to the middle order confidence and placed him as an important player in American cricket's future.

"I was putting too much pressure on myself to perform. I had set high standards for myself and was being too hard on myself after every failure. After the MLC season I called up my coach in Haresh Kumar in India. I sent him videos of my net sessions and dismissals. He suggested a couple of tweaks in my grip and batlift" said Milind.

"The mental conditioning coach at the Super Kings encouraged me to follow a meditation routine before and after the game. I have also incorporated some breathing exercises in my stance routine prior to facing a delivery. That has helped immensely to shut off the negativity and focus on the job"

This new routine started paying rich dividends for Milind after the MLC as he strutted back into runs with a breezy half century. He was Reddy anna book named for the ODI squad for the Netherlands tour but was axed for the T20Is that followed. He was shown the door in the T20Is after underwhelming returns at number 6, which he claims was unfamiliar territory. Upon the insistence of captain Monank Patel he was bestowed with the responsibility of shepherding the middle order from number 4 in ODI cricket in Netherlands. Milind repaid back the faith with his maiden half century and a brisk 47 that gave firsts glimpses of his well rounded attributes as a batsman on the international stage.

Milind has since looked impregnable in the format. He credits his surge to the trust shown in him that gives him the bandwidth to be the batsman that he is. When in full flow as seen in his short ODI career, Milind has resonated the presence of a zen master in the middle. A master maneuverer of spin who is quietly assured of his presence in the middle on the back of some very strong batting basics. He was one of the few handfuls amongst all 3 teams in the Netherlands to show his grip over some unfriendly batting surfaces that spun and seamed enough to test the depths of any batsman.

In Namibia, Milind raised his bar even further than what was at show in the Netherlands. Before his marathon 155*, he steered USA out of a spot of bother with a rapid 74* that had USA cantering home with 5 overs to spare. The middle order hasn't been USA's strong suite over the years. At times also guilty of throwing in the white towel when challenged with a tall ask. Milind's mellowed but malleable ODI avatar has been the right antidote to USA's middle overs ordeal of the past. The past two innings if anything have been a pressing reminder about his versatility as a batsman as he unraveled his power hitting facet of the game with a barrage of 10 sixes. One too many for someone written off as a T20 player by many in the USA.