RN: I fondly remember your double hundred vs TN in Chennai on a turner in 2012. You have played over 100 FC games and one of the biggest strengths has been your ability against Spin bowling. What are your main lessons to youngsters who want to play spin well?

GS: To play spin well and dominate spinners in good batting conditions or to negotiate top quality spin on turners you need to either play the sweep shot really well or you need to be able to use your feet. I was never a great exponent of the sweep shot but I do use my feet very well. Using your feet does not necessarily mean only stepping out of the crease, it’s also the ability to go deep in the crease and convert the back of length balls into scoring opportunities. Using one’s feet & the sweep shot unsettle the bowler’s length and that gives you opportunities to score off the back foot which can be crucial when playing quality spinners on helpful wickets. But the most important thing according to me is having a good defense. If you do not have that skill you may get away with it in a couple of games but to be consistent you need to really trust your defense.

RN: You are also a qualified Engineer. How did you balance between studies and cricket given you were in the State system right from Age group cricket? 

GS: I come from a family where both my parents are Doctors, so studies was always the primary focus at home until I played for the India U-19 team. My parents always encouraged me to play cricket but ensured I made time for studies and honestly I think studies helped with my cricket and vice versa. The ability to concentrate for long periods and develop sharp thinking under pressure are some traits that I got from my focus on studies. It was not too difficult to make time for studies even when I was playing first class cricket and completing my engineering. It just took a little bit of effort mentally.

RN: Every young cricketer in India grows up wanting to play for India. The closest you came to it was India A. How do you keep yourself motivated to keep going in domestic cricket?

GS: There will always be disappointments when you set out to play cricket professionally whether it is representing the state teams or your country or maybe franchise cricket nowadays, but in those moments I always remind myself of why I started playing the game. I just love batting and playing the game and being out there on the field. That’s the only motivation I needed and at a very young age I realized that selection was not in my control but working hard and being prepared was. So I focused on that and the motivation was to give my best every game and win games for the team. It has kept me going and also helped me be part of 3 Ranji trophy-winning teams.