Aaron Hardie’s date with Guwahati spinners

GUWAHATI, May 26: With his ability to bat and bowl with equal ease, Aaron Hardie is poised to become one of the best in the business. The 25-year-old Australian, who spent nine days in Guwahati honing his skills against spinners, is now more confident in playing sweeps and reverse sweeps when the situation demands.

“It’s been fantastic playing spinners here,” Hardie told The Assam Tribune before leaving for his home country.

The 6.4-foot all-rounder, who has played 4 ODIs and 7 T20Is for Australia, arrived in Guwahati on May 16 to attend a special spin bowling coaching clinic conducted by the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) Cricket Academy. Reflecting on his time there, Hardie said, “My experience in Guwahati has been great, with lots of cricket and practice facing spin bowlers at the ACA Academy programme. I spent a lot of time with them.”

It might seem surprising for an Australian international to come to Guwahati to practice spin bowling. Hardie explained, “One of the coaches, Luke Wimbridge, who trains at the ACA Academy, has been my coach in Australia since I was eight years old. So, it made sense to come and train with him and the boys at the ACA Academy.”

Hardie also praised the facilities at the ACA Academy, saying, “I think Assam has a bright future. The boys at the ACA Cricket Academy have all the facilities they need to become international cricketers. They have great food, a great gym, great coaches, psychologists, and strength and conditioning coaches. They have everything they need to excel at the highest level.”

During his stint, Hardie worked diligently on his skills against spinners. “This week during the spin camp, many local and academy spinners bowled to me. We practiced for Tests and T20 cricket. I worked on my sweep shots and played both off and leg spin. I tried everything possible to hone my skills,” he described.

In earlier media reports, it was mentioned that Hardie struggled to effectively unfurl his sweep shot, a stroke he did not play during his junior career but has since worked hard on developing. He noted that the shot is incredibly important, especially since every team has a mystery spinner. He explained that being able to use the shot and change the field to his liking is significant. Hardie admitted that he never thought he would play the reverse sweep when he was younger and that it had taken him three to four years to grasp the concept of sweeping. However, he expressed satisfaction in having a few options against high-quality spinners.

During a tour to India last year, he was seen struggling against spinners like Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel.

Huge motivation for youngsters:

For the trainees at the ACA Academy, Hardie’s presence has been highly motivating. “The academy boys have absolutely cherished the time. Having an international cricketer sharing his experience and explaining the finer aspects of defending and attacking, then watching IPL and discussing different tactics in a casual manner — that’s a huge benefit,” said coach Luke Wimbridge. “The boys responded well, and I think they are very lucky to have these facilities.”

ACA Cricket Academy’s member secretary Devajit Saikia said it has been their endeavour to establish a world-class cricket academy in Guwahati with all the facilities to need groom youngsters.

“Aaron Hardie has come to know about the facilities here and wanted to train here. He attended the spin bowling camp which was conducted by Arlen Konwar, one of the most successful spinners of Assam,” Saikia said.

He added with the exposure of international cricketers like Hardie and coach Luke Wimbridge the academy boys will get the boost to groom themselves.