Justin Greaves’ recent Player of the Match effort - an unbeaten 202 that pulled West Indies out of deep trouble and secured a hard-fought draw against New Zealand in the opening Test of the three-match series - has rightly made headlines.
Yet the historic innings might have never happened. The West Indian all-rounder was on the verge of quitting cricket in 2022 before Siddhartha Lahiri convinced him to stay in the game.
Lahiri, who is currently the Rajasthan Royals’ Head of International Player Development and Performance Coach for the Royals Group, worked with Justin Greaves as assistant-cum-batting coach at the Barbados Royals.
Set a mammoth target of 531 to chase in the first Test against New Zealand, Justin Greaves produced an unbeaten 202 in the final innings of the match to help West Indies score 457/6 and draw the series opener.
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His resolute knock - built on sound defence and an unflappable temperament - had all the ingredients of a classic Test innings. And for that, Greaves can, in part, thank Siddhartha Lahiri, whose guidance has been central to shaping the player he is today.
“Justin was extremely disillusioned (for a good part of 2022) and had even contemplated giving up cricket,” Siddhartha Lahiri told the Telegraph.
“He wasn’t getting a chance, neither in the West Indies cricket team nor in the CPL (Caribbean Premier League). But then, I came in and started working on his mind too, alongside his game.
“I used to send him training drills and kept motivating him, telling him about opportunities in the Windies team, especially how he could make himself a regular in the (Test) side. On September 22, 2022, he told me he would stick to cricket,” he added.
On the final day of the first Test against New Zealand, Greaves was thrust into the action early after overnight centurion Shai Hope and wicketkeeper-batter Tevin Imlach were dismissed soon after the start of play.
However, words of advice from Lahiri after the fourth day’s play proved invaluable, underpinning Greaves’ remarkable rescue act that enabled the Windies to escape with a miraculous draw.
“After the proceedings on Friday, I told him about the ball-focusing drill. It helps in easing everything as the muscle memory takes over. So, what you need to do here is try and follow the ball for 10-25 minutes. Even when you are the non-striker, just keep following the ball and its journey back to the bowler’s hand,” Lahiri explained.
“The keen learner that Justin is, he’s more assured of his game now. His mental side has led to him performing, while he also has that belief in himself now,” he added.
Justin Greaves leaning on advice from Siddhartha Lahiri isn’t new. He had also credited the Royals’ Head of International Player Development following an unbeaten fifty in the second innings of the second Test of a two-match series against India in October.
After his defiant innings against India - one that denied them an innings victory and dragged the match into the final day - Justin Greaves credited Lahiri for helping him crack the code against spin.
“I had a lot of chats with a few guys from the Royals Academy. When I played for the Barbados Royals, the coach (Siddhartha Lahiri) there always talked about playing spin off the back foot,” Greaves had said. “So for me, I practised it a lot even though I like to play off the front foot. You know, I just enjoy batting and enjoy the conditions in India.”
Siddhartha Lahiri was appointed as the Head of International Player Development by the Royals Sports Group in February.
Lahiri’s role is aimed at enhancing the franchise’s academy network, working around the year with facilities in Jaipur, Surrey, Pune and New Jersey. His role also encompasses coaching responsibilities within the Royals’ overseas franchises.
The Royals Academy is a formal coaching and development programme with multiple global centres, offering training, masterclasses and access to high-performance facilities.
