He won the award for the best Australian T20I player earlier this year, and was much looking forward to coming to India for the IPL. In fact while playing for the Sharjah Warriors in the International League T20 in the UAE, Marcus Stoinis had one eye on what was going on in India. In 2022, Lucknow Super Giants did not use him well. He either batted too far down the order, or did not get enough balls to get going. This time round, Lucknow have got it right and Stoinis, batting at 4, has delivered more often than not. On a pitch where batting wasn’t easy, his 47-ball 89 against Mumbai Indians was nothing less than sensational. When you add context, two down for 12 when he walked in, the innings stands out even more.
Stoinis has always prided himself on being a finisher. Sample this. “When I started opening for the Melbourne Stars in the BBL and got a lot of runs, I have to say it was my preferred spot,” he once said. “I wanted to lead from the front and score a lot of runs for my team. However, over a period of time, Andrew McDonald and Ricky Ponting made me understand the importance of finishing games.
Marcus Stoinis (89* off 47) packed a punch to power Lucknow Super Giants to 177/3 in 20 overs
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“It is not simply about scoring runs and becoming the star. It is about winning games and that’s far more important even if you score less and aren’t the player getting attention all the time. It was a change in mindset, and over a period of time, I got used to it and realised the importance of the job being assigned to me. MS Dhoni, for example, is the greatest because he was the best finisher the game has seen. That’s what it is all about – winning games for the team, and I am very conscious of my role.”
And it is no surprise that he idolises Dhoni. “I once went up to Dhoni at the end of an IPL game when he finished it against us from a very difficult situation, and asked him how he could do it time and again,” said Stoinis. “It was a very interesting conversation. He said to me that he backs himself to take the game deep and soak in the pressure. He said if you take the game to the last over and even if there are 15 runs to be scored, people might think the pressure is on you. But the pressure is as much on the bowler. The bowler who has to defend the score will know it is MS Dhoni who is batting, someone who has won matches from similar situations multiple times in his life. The bowler will be under no less pressure. I was fascinated to hear what he was saying, and it made me think how he had worked it out in his mind.”
Now he attempts to do that himself as Chris Jordan and Jason Behrendorff found to their cost on Tuesday night in Lucknow. Stoinis also believes the experience gained in the IPL will come in handy during the World Cup in October. “The World Cup will be hugely competitive,” he said. “There are many quality sides in international cricket, and we will have to be at our best to do well in the competition. The IPL will definitely help. It is the world’s best franchise league, has the best players and has huge viewership. It gets you ready in every way for the big stage, and that’s what I am looking forward to.”
From what we have seen of him so far this IPL, he is indeed ready, having helped Lucknow get within touching distance of the playoffs. The surface in Lucknow blunted Mumbai’s mighty hitters, but not Stoinis, who just hit it out of the park.