Handling World T20 hype a 'challenge' for Brathwaite

He puts his long limbs to use, lunging forward to meet the ball, but Imran Tahir's legbreak turns sharply. Then he jumps out of the crease but is beaten again, this time by Shahbaz Nadeem's left-arm spin. Two balls later, he attempts to play from the crease against a young Delhi Daredevils legspinner, only for the ball to take the outside edge.

West Indies allrounder Carlos Brathwaite is at sea against spin on the eve of his first IPL match at the very ground where he brought the cricket world to its feet last Sunday at the World T20 final. "Welcome to the IPL, Carlos," the spinners may have chuckled.

Half an hour earlier, Brathwaite had faced questions of a different kind. Questions that tested his brain less and hurt his ego even less. How many sixes will you hit in the IPL? How will you inspire yourself in a low-intensity tournament like the IPL? How will you deal with the pressure of everyone wanting you to play the impact role down the order?

Over the past week, Braithwaite, who laid to rest curiosity over his mind-boggling INR 4.2 crore IPL price tag, has been repeatedly asked to relive his memorable last-over demolition of Ben Stokes. Brathwaite has recounted the tale with a straight face, with a sunny smile, and with honesty.

Concurrently, in less than a week, Braithwaite has also learned the cost of what he calls instant stardom. As happy as he is to speak of his heroics, he wants to turn the page now.

"I would be honest and say it was a bit of a challenge. I had time management problems to begin with," Braithwaite said at a press conference in Kolkata. "[I have been giving] constant interviews and basically reliving the four sixes each and every day since Sunday night. So it has been a challenge to get off the hype. I really became aware in the last couple of days and I have been trying to get the interviews out of the way."

Brathwaite realises that expectations are bound to multiply every time he is out to bat. He speaks with clarity and an endearing honesty, not so common among newcomers on the international stage.

"Now I am aware of the challenges that instant stardom have brought me," he said. "It is something that I look forward to if I continue to be successful; it's something that I have to cope with."

Daredevils will reportedly play Kolkata Knight Riders on the same pitch that was used for the World T20 final. Won't that be a psychological boost?

"If I look at it as a psychological advantage then it can disadvantage me and my team," Brathwaite said. "Playing at the same ground, in front of the same fans, but it is a completely different tournament, different game, different team. I am in a different team myself, different opposition, so I have to treat the game with respect. I have to prepare the way I prepared for the World Cup. React to what is done on the day as opposed to live in the past and hoping it happens again basically."

By the end of the season, Brathwaite hopes to take back two things: the knowledge of how to play spin and a better understanding of the demands placed on successful athletes. And the one man who can help him in that context is his childhood hero, who is now mentoring Daredevils.

"I am privileged enough to come into the team as a World Cup winner," he said. "Privileged enough to take some lessons. I am also privileged to work with someone that I have idolised all my career, Rahul Dravid. We had a couple of chats. It is just about me becoming better as a person and as a player.

"One of the areas I want to personally improve on is playing spin. I spoke to Rahul about it. In six weeks I want to go back to the West Indies with a better understanding of how to play spin bowling, how to rotate it, how to score off it and take that knowledge from the IPL back to the West Indies."

Back at Eden Gardens, having failed to break through the web cast by the various Daredevils spinners, Brathwaite walks to the practice strip adjacent to the pitch that vaulted him to international stardom. It is time for range hitting, and he is up and running almost immediately.

The first throw is punched over long off. The second is tonked over deep midwicket. Then he gets a leading edge that clears mid-off. He waits, and then deposits the next one deep into the stands behind cow corner. The next one flies over long-on. Dravid watches the trajectory of the hits with admiration.

And just like that, Braithwaite is back in the zone, once again reliving the memories of the night he helped West Indies become champions of the world.