IPL 2021 – KKR pace duo Shivam Mavi & Kamlesh Nagarkoti: Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi shot to the limelight with sheer pace and bounce — clocking over 140 kmph — in the Under-19 World Cup in 2018. Having made their IPL debut last season, the speedsters have set new targets to learn the “tricks of the trade” at the highest level from the likes of former New Zealand fast bowler and KKR bowling coach Kyle Mills. The duo shared their plans with Insidesport.co in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
KKR’s Kamlesh Nagarkoti speaks to Insidesport in an exclusive interview. Excerpts…
How are you looking up to this season of IPL and what will be your priorities?
Kamlesh Nagarkoti: I will focus on some specific plans for the new season. Obviously, we have to win the tournament. It’s been a long time. We came so close to winning and we had our opportunities but we couldn’t win. So whatever mistakes we had made we are looking ahead to correct them and whatever we could have learnt we are working on that. Now I am just waiting for the IPL to start.
You made your IPL debut last year and you have experience with you. So what role do you see for yourself this season?
Nagarkoti: It’s been just four-five months since last season but yes experience is a big thing at this level especially playing in a tournament of this magnitude. Wherever I get a chance to perform, I will perform. Whenever the captain will ask me to do the job, I will try my best to deal with any situation and do my best for the team.
How has been your interaction with KKR’s bowling coaches Kyle Mills and Omkar Salvi?
Nagarkoti: I talk to Kyle Mills and Omkar Salvi at the nets… they have a big role in my progress… whenever we play matches and do net practice, they have specific and different plans, which I like a lot the way he teaches us. So when we try to execute that in the matches it gives us success and makes me feel happy. I have improved my game on those lines. I am quite happy learning the art of bowling from them.
KKR’s Shivam Mavi speaks to Insidesport in an exclusive interview. Excerpts…
You have played two seasons with KKR. So how much experience of two seasons will help you in this season?
Shivam Mavi: Yes, it will play a big role as playing with international players in IPL for the last two seasons have been truly great and I have got a lot of experience. Though I did not get to play in 2019 but to share the dressing room and see the matches from close quarters really help. I got to learn what are new things have come up and what I can do. So obviously the two years of experience will help me this year.
This time around you have the likes of Prasidh Krishna, Kamlesh Nagarkotti and Sandeep Warrier… so the Indian fast bowlers’ group with KKR also looks good…
Mavi: Yes, till last year we had Sandeep, Prasidh and me. This year, Vaibhav Arora has been added to our core bench strength. This has really been a good thing for KKR this season that more domestic bowlers have come in the team. So I think it will be a great season this time.
Since KKR won’t be playing in Eden Gardens, how are looking up to the pitches in Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai?
Mavi: Kolkata’s Eden Gardens is a fast wicket but if you see our spinners they are also very good. With the addition of Harbhajan Singh, our spin attack looks formidable along with Kuldeep Yadav and Sunil Narine. So we will not be depending only on one kind of wicket — not just for the fast bowlers or just the spinners.