In 2016, former Delhi cricketer Kartar Nath got a call from friend Suresh Batra, who passed away in 2021, about a very “promising leg-spinner”. Kartar was handling Dena Bank’s team for the DDCA League at the time and used to often rope in young and talented cricketers for the tournament. In the Delhi circuit, Batra’s word was taken seriously as the late coach had groomed Virat Kohli during his initial years at the West Delhi Cricket Academy and played a pivotal role in shaping the careers of India U-19 opener Manjot Kalra and Delhi cricketer Varun Sood.
Kartar heeded Batra’s request and called Suyash Sharma for a trial. The 54-year-old spotted the X-factor the leggie had and was surprised to see the amount of turn his googly generated. He wasn’t a leg-spinner in the traditional mold as the conventional leggie didn’t turn and the googly was very hard to pick.
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“I remember getting a call from the late Suresh Batra in 2016 regarding Suyash. We immediately called him for trials and were very impressed. Iska googly bahut turn hota hai (his googly turns a lot) and is very hard to read. He had that X-factor in him. So we decided to rope him in for Dena Bank and made him play the DDCA League. In the league, he took a lot of wickets for us and kept troubling quality batters,” recalls Kartar.
Suyash continued playing for Dena Bank but wasn’t able to take the next step. Kartar fought hard for his ward but wasn’t able to convince the folks at DDCA. In 2019, when Suyash was getting close to an Under-19 call for the state, a lack of proper documentation made him ineligible and the wait got longer.
“I managed to get him a look in for the U-19 trials at DDCA in 2019 but didn’t know that his birth certificate wasn’t available. No birth certificate meant he wasn’t considered for the next stage. He was impressive in the trial games and nets but lack of paperwork cost him the opportunity that year,” says Kartar.
More roadblocks were in store for young Suyash as COVID-19 halted cricketing activities the following year and when action resumed in 2021, the leg-spinner wasn’t even called for trials at DDCA. Patience was running out in the Sharma household and the family wanted him to stop playing cricket as his career was going nowhere. Kartar urged Suyash’s mother to be patient.
“He comes from a middle-class family and has two siblings – an elder brother and a sister. Naturally, the family was running out of patience and his mother wanted him to stop playing cricket. I requested her to be patient and sought more time since the kid was special. Dena Bank team was dissolved then after the merger with Bank of Baroda so I made him play league for Madras Club. He did well there and was eventually called for trials for Delhi U-25 last year,” informs Kartar.
Support from an old friend and senior
The Delhi U-25 trials were a make-or-break opportunity and Kartar dialed his old friend and senior colleague Gursharan Singh, who was part of the DDCA Cricket Advisory Committee last season. Suyash was called for the trials where he impressed and found a place in the Delhi U-25 side.
“Yes, Kartar got in touch with me and I know him for a long time. I assured him that every talented cricketer will get a fair chance and Suyash was one of them. He did well in the trial games and impressed the coach and selectors and we all felt that his googly was tough to read. For me, it’s not important to turn the ball a long way. Even a little turn and a lot of accuracy can make a lot of difference. Suyash was accurate and had a big googly,” says Gursharan.
Entry into Delhi U-25 side wasn’t a cakewalk for the leg-spinner as he faced resistance. There were a few who didn’t want him in the team and were looking for loopholes via his paperwork. A timely intervention from DDCA president Rohan Jaitley ensured everything was sorted out before the playing XI was announced.
“There were some issues but the president was apprised of his talent and he ensured that a talented cricketer like Suyash gets his due,” says Gursharan.
The IPL trials
While the stint with Delhi U-25 wasn’t an earth-shattering one, Suyash caught the scout’s eyes with his googlies and was on the radar of both Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders. The youngster attended trials for both MI and KKR before attracting a bid of Rs 20 lakh from the two-time IPL winners.
Players who attended trials with Suyash reveal he did exceptionally well in the trials for KKR and picked a lot of wickets in the practice matches and troubled senior batters in the nets.
“He went to trials for both KKR and MI and picked wickets for both franchises in the camps. I spoke to Rahul Sanghvi at MI too and they too were interested in Suyash. Ultimately, KKR got him and finally put his cricketing journey on track. He did well on debut for them and still has a long way to go,” says Kartar.
The last seven years have been a hard toil under the sun for Suyash but he finally got his big moment at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday with a blockbuster debut against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. And Shah Rukh Khan in the stands. It can’t get bigger than this.
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