“It did not live up to my own expectations,” Abdul Samad says on the sidelines of the Sher-I-Kashmir stadium’s nets, having just wound down a batting session on the eve of Jammu & Kashmir’s Irani Cup tie against Rest of India.The quote, taken in isolation, hardly makes sense. Layer on the context, and it makes even less. Samad, India’s defending red-ball champions’ man of crisis, scored 748 runs in the title-winning Ranji Trophy campaign. A century against Hyderabad, five half-centuries alongside it, an average that reads a rather enviable 57.53. Highest run-scorer for his side, eighth-highest across the entire tournament.ALSO READ | Barbed wire, sniffer dogs and 40 years of waiting: Srinagar readies for Irani Cup“In the last Ranji Trophy season, my target was to score around 1,000 to 1,200 runs, but I ended up scoring only 748,” the explanation arrives. Then, the method behind the runs. “I focused primarily on spending time in the middle without overthinking while batting. I waited for the right delivery and just watched the ball closely. That approach made all the difference. We also played in very demanding conditions last season, so those runs proved vital for the team. I missed out on converting several into centuries, but the runs scored were valuable and contributed directly to winning games.”Some of Samad’s knocks from the previous red-ball edition could be described by borrowing from the Gen Z lexicon — clutch. There was the 76 against Rajasthan, when the other ten Jammu & Kashmir batters collectively managed 186. Then came an 82 against Bengal in the semi-final, fashioned after he walked in with the scoreboard reading 13/3.Samad, for his part, has made peace with the specialised art of weathering storms.“I have been doing it (coming out to bat in challenging circumstances) for a while now. It’s simply my job to go out there and steer the team out of trouble. I’ve grown accustomed to it. I can’t complain about walking out in tough situations; you are picked to do a specific job, and you have to execute it.”Story continues below this adWhile he is also a regular feature in his team’s white-ball campaigns, in addition to 71 Indian Premier League appearances across seven seasons, Samad enjoys his cricket the most when his flashing blade meets the red cherry.“I love red-ball cricket. I genuinely enjoy it a lot. A big reason for that is this format ebbs and flows. A game can turn all of a sudden here. You can lose three wickets in a single session, and then you can go three sessions without losing a single wicket. This format challenges you with various different scenarios, and I find it fascinating. The T20 format, on the other hand, is a completely different dynamic. It is a bit of a hit-and-miss format.”Switching between formatsAnd yet, barely six weeks from now, Jammu & Kashmir’s hopes in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will rest just as heavily upon his shoulders — his T20 strike rate, a brisk 146.91. The transition, by his own admission, is easier for Samad than many others.“I don’t think it’s that difficult to go from red-ball cricket to white-ball cricket, to be perfectly honest with you. Personally, I just need about a week of practice to get back into rhythm and shape. In my view, switching from multi-day cricket to T20 actually helps you in a way. When you bat in good shape in multi-day cricket, it carries over and helps your T20 batting because your foundational shape holds right till the end.”Come Thursday, Samad will face a battery of quality bowlers, who are either a part of the current Indian set-up — Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain, or have been in the past — Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep.The 24-year-old, though, has unyielding faith on his team and teammates.“We’ve been preparing here for the last two to three weeks, playing practice matches, and having good sessions for fielding and fitness. All the boys look in good form. I am confident that the work that we have put in coming into this game will bear rewards in the match.”“We are fairly well-acclimatised to these conditions, because whenever we play home matches, we encounter similar pitches that are somewhat tough for batting. So, our team has adapted well to working through these conditions and figuring out how to survive on this wicket and score runs. Most of the boys understand that well. Yes, cricket is unpredictable and anything can happen on a given day, but we remain confident.”Samad was most recently a part of the North Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy. A reminder, perhaps, that a sustained run of scores can still open avenues not yet fully explored. Avenues that he quietly harbours dreams about.“My ultimate dream is to play for India. Without a doubt, it has been my goal for the longest time. I want to sustain a long career at the international level, I want to represent my country in all three formats, and I want to win matches for India. There won’t be a feeling better than that.”