Off field bonding puts Billings at ease on the field with Daredevils

When you enter the restaurant inside the Imperial Palace Hotel in Rajkot, it looks like a mini-Delhi Daredevils picnic is in progress. Booming voices are heard from the far corner - they belong to Mohammed Shami and Imran Tahir, who are taking turns at telling Rishabh Pant funny anecdotes.

Sanju Samson, Karun Nair and Shreyas Iyer, seated a few tables away, are having a relatively quieter time but the jokes are flowing there as well. Shreyas smiles impishly while discussing his hairstyle, pointing out how too much hair has grown over his star-shaped cut at the back of his head. This is fun. It takes slightly longer to figure out there is work in progress too.

Rahul Dravid and Paddy Upton - mentor and head coach respectively of Delhi Daredevils - are seated behind a large table and conducting what looks like campus recruitments. Karun, Carlos Braithwaite and Samson show up at the table one after the other, and each is greeted with pleasant smiles and enquiries about their well-being. The conversation thereafter is inaudible but Sam Billings, the English wicketkeeper-batsman, says it's not much more than "just talking". However, the impact of a little bonding over such chit chat is "amazing".

"In this environment with a lot of new faces, they don't necessarily know you as a bloke, but it's about getting to build that relationship, which will obviously help on the field," Billings says. "I know it sounds simple, but it's really not more complex than that. It's amazing what a chat can do in terms of changing your frame of mind, whether it's on a technical issue, or even a mental issue about the game."

Billings is as much in awe of Dravid the person as Dravid the cricketer. He proudly reminds you that Dravid has in the past played for Kent, the county side Billings turns out for.

"He is just a great human to talk to, and him and Paddy have created an environment where - obviously we have got a lot of young, inexperienced players - [you have the freedom] to play your natural game, which is invaluable," he said.

Most of his tutelage under Dravid, he says, has been about the mental side of things, but technically, too, there have been significant takeaways.

"For most guys, [it is learning from Dravid] to have that mental robustness to be able to bat for long periods of time, to read the game - when you have got to sit in for a little bit and when to attack," he says. "It's more picking his brains about the tempo in the innings, especially in four-day cricket as well.

"As an example, I focus on the on-drive - because if I am batting well, that will be going well, nice and straight and balance would be good. [Dravid] said, 'That's really good but why not try batting at the other end with the bowlers' footmarks and have exactly the same shots. Every single detail of your technique has to be under scrutiny otherwise you are not going to hit the ball.' So it's quite interesting."

Billings launched his IPL career by smashing a 34-ball 54 against Kolkata Knight Riders, with 40 of those runs coming against spinners, mostly via sweeps and inside-out shots. He admits to using the time at Daredevils to try and sharpen his craft against spin bowling.

"We've had little group sessions [at our] second ground in Delhi where we have three players every day that go out and practice against spin," he says. "We have net bowlers and some of our spinners come and bowl. And because there's only three of you, you have as much time as you need and want essentially. So, it's brilliant."

Billings says the environment in the team helps establish lasting friendships without anybody losing his competitive edge. "I've come into this IPL with a very open mind. I always thought I might not play a game, but out of the six weeks I'm here, it will be impossible not to improve as a player as long as I've got the right work ethic.

"You learn from Chris Morris how to hit the ball out of the park, Carlos Brathwaite … and also talking to guys like Amit Mishra and how he thinks he's going to get me out. It's a very hungry, young group of players. There's friendly rivalries and everyone wants to kind of keep improving to get ahead of the next guy. Just batting from the other end you are not just learning from [Dravid] you are learning from these other local Indian players, like Karun Nair.

"I've spent a lot of time with Karun Nair and Sanju Samson off the field and get on very well with both those guys. Obviously when running between the wickets you need that kind of understanding. You build friendships. [Brathwaite and me] play FIFA in our hotel room so every now and then that 'Champion' dance comes out when he wins. Ultimately, you play this game for 15 years and you want to have friends all over the world at the end of it."