No sooner had Chennai Super Kings legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni pulled Punjab Kings leg-spinner Rahul Chahar and had a faint nick that settled down into the gloves of IPL debutant Jitesh Sharma than the wicketkeeper confidently asked his captain to go for DRS. The desperate plea to take DRS was instantaneous after umpire Yashwant Barde failed to hear the edge amidst the noisy Brabourne Stadium crowd on Sunday that was cheering for the team in yellow and their dear Dhoni.
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Such was the confidence of Sharma that he showed no signs of nervousness playing in his maiden IPL match, in front of a vociferous crowd that was cheering for the opposition even when the match was almost done and dusted in PBKS’ favour. The 28-year-old wicketkeeper from Vidarbha was spot on in asking his skipper to take DRS as there was a fair amount of wood on the ball, the spike on the Ultra-edge proving it.
Sharma displayed the characteristics that a veteran of many a battle would have shown, and not necessarily as if he was a rookie playing in his first IPL match.
Not only Sharma but also at least three other IPL debutants this season – Vaibhav Arora, also of PBKS, Ayush Badoni of Lucknow Super Giants and Tilak Varma of Mumbai Indians – have taken to this high-profile and pressure tournament like ducks take to water, showing no signs of nervousness on the public stage.
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That’s what IPL is all about, isn’t it? One may ask.
That’s precisely what IPL is all about, he/she may be told in reply.
The IPL has provided the platform for the lesser-known commodities to display their wares, rub shoulders with the greats of the game that at the end of it, everyone is regarded as equal on the field of play. You may have played in excess of 200 IPL matches or are playing your first, it is a level-playing field out there with even contest between bat and ball.
Sharma, born in Amravati in Maharashtra, has been a regular in the domestic circuit, having appeared in 54 T20 matches and 41 One-dayers before his IPL debut on Sunday. He was a part of the Mumbai Indians squad for two years, in 2016 and 2017, though he could not be drafted into the eleven. He focussed upon improving his skills in the limited-overs game and his perseverance did not go in vain, grabbing the opportunity with both the hands after Punjab Kings acquired him in the February auctions for ₹20 lakh.
The right-handed batter did justice to the confidence the PBKS think-tank of Director of Cricket Operations and head coach, Anil Kumble, and skipper Mayank Agarwal, among others, had in him. Walking in to bat after Englishman Liam Livingstone set the stage on fire with some merciless hitting, Sharma saw the ball and not the bowler, hitting Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja, proven performers at the world stage, for sixes to make a useful contribution of 26.
Similar was the story of Sharma’s team-mate and fellow IPL debutant on Sunday, Arora. The 24-year-old right-arm medium-pacer from Himachal was straightaway given the new ball on his IPL debut after appearing in only 13 T20 matches for his state in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He bowled a tidy first over to the CSK openers, Ruturaj Gaikwad and in-form Robin Uthappa, giving only five runs and not conceding a boundary. In his next over, he got rid of Uthappa, top-edging an intended shot on the on-side, and succeeded yet again in his third over, seeing the back of Moeen, who could otherwise get explosive when he gets his eye in.
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Arora removing Ali for nought prompted his captain to complete his quota straightaway. Thus, the uncapped bowler, bought by PBKS for Rs 2 crore, had a memorable debut, picking up two for 21 in one unchanged four-over spell.
Arora bowled to the likes of IPL giants including Uthappa and Ambati Rayudu but did not succumb to pressure. Like his team-mate Sharma facing the ball and not the bowler, Arora was bowling with the aim of taking wickets and not what the reputation of the batter at the other end was.
Of course, Sharma and Arora will not find the going always to their liking. Sharma may fall cheaply or Arora may get hit badly, but their initiation into the big stage has been one of fearlessness, like the two other newcomers, LSG’s Badoni and MI’s Verma.
Badoni is a product from the national capital and full credit to him, and him only, for climbing up the ladder despite the system that Delhi cricket is known for. Having gone for IPL trials after trials in the last three years, he finally caught the eye of LSG mentor and former India opener, Gautam Gambhir.
A trainee of the late reputed coach ‘Dronacharya’ Tarak Sinha, at the Sonnet CC in Delhi, Badoni played a couple of vital knocks for India under-19, the most significant being an unbeaten 185 in the Youth ‘Test’ in Colombo in July 2018. He also topped the Indian batting averages in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh in October that year, averaging 72.50 with two fifties from three innings, batting at No. 5 or 6.
Badoni, overlooked since then, has played in only five Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches in January 2021 and did nothing much of note. For one who has been through some tough times in terms of non-selection, Badoni only got better at his game. It was learnt that he joined Vijay Dahiya Cricket Academy in Delhi after moving out of Sonnet and that’s where the former India wicket-keeper and now assistant coach of LSG was impressed with Badoni’s batting abilities.
Not just that, the youngster had impressed the Indian great and former NCA director, currently the India head coach, Rahul Dravid that the latter told the people that matter in Delhi cricket to nurture the talent that Badoni is.
All the hard work paid for Badoni when in his first IPL match against Gujarat Titans at Wankhede Stadium on March 28, he played a wide range of strokes from pull to Dilscoop to slog sweep in an impressive fifty on debut. The 22-year-old, bought by LSG for Rs 20 lakh, has assumed great responsibility, as if he wanted to make up for the time lost over the last couple of years.
With scores of 54, 19 not out and 19 in his first three IPL matches while batting at No. 6, Badoni shown that he is here to stay. It won’t be a surprise if he uses the IPL platform to step into the international stage.
Verma, like Badoni, is a former India under-19 batter. The left-hander gave a decent account of himself at No. 3 in the three innings that he got to play in the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2020 in South Africa, totalling 86 runs from three innings at an average of 28.67.
When it came to his IPL debut against Delhi Capitals at Brabourne Stadium on March 27, Verma began well and showed glimpses of what he is made of, scoring 22 with some delightful fours – a pull to wide long-on, a hit straight over the bowler Kamlesh Nagarkoti and another one off his legs to fine leg off Khaleel Ahmed – that did not show were coming from an IPL debutant.
He improved upon that score by reaching 61 with five sixes and three fours against Rajasthan Royals, taking on the likes of established spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. That he smashed Ashwin for two sixes including a reverse sweep and the send-off he got at the hands of the off-spinner spoke how good an innings he had played that evening at the DY Patil Stadium.
That he was bought by MI in the IPL mega auctions for Rs 1.85 crore, warding off some keen interest shown by other franchises including Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals, is evident enough of the talent that Verma is.
While the foursome have made early impressions in this IPL, one cannot help but feel sorry for CSK’s 25-year-old IPL debutant this season, left-arm medium-pacer, Mukesh Choudhary. The Rajasthan-born who represents Maharashtra was given the honour of opening the bowling against LSG and PBKS in CSK’s second and third matches.
Though he picked up the early wicket of PBKS captain Agarwal off his second delivery in his second match, he was repeatedly sent to the pickets by the ferocious Livingstone on Sunday and by KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock and later Badoni in his first match. With figures of 0 for 39 in 3.3 overs against LSG and 1 for 52 in 4 overs against PBKS, Choudhary may have had his confidence dented by some of the fiercest hitters of the game but he can only get better from now on, learning from his mistakes. He though may have to make way once CSK key bowler Deepak Chahar returns fully fit.
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