Suyash Sharma, who? KKR’s spin attack now has company

Suyash Sharma, who? It could have been the normal reaction when the 19-year-old with a stylish mane, allegedly a leg spinner, was named as the impact player by Kolkata Knight Riders in place of Venkatesh Iyer as they readied to defend a big total of 204 for seven against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.

A calculated gamble this, for the two-time champions already boasted of their master spinner Sunil Narine and the enigmatic Varun Chakravarthy in the line-up. Suyash, however, showed that he has it in him to be the potential third force in the spin-dominated strategy that historically gave the Knights the edge as they returned ‘home’ after a gap of three seasons. He struck with two quick wickets in his first five balls in his first-ever game of representative cricket and eventually ended with figures of three for 30 as the hosts posted their first win of the season – a whopping 81-run win against the mighty Royal Challengers Bangalore. Dinesh Karthik, a former KKR captain who is all too familiar with the conditions at the Eden, was Suyash’s second victim.

Gushing about Suyash after the match, the Knights skipper Nitish Rana told the broadcasters: ‘’Suyash is a confident young man and he has belief in himself. He made his chance count and it was great to see him bowl that way.’’

Chandrakant Pandit, KKR’s first Indian head coach, broke it down further. ‘’Varun Chakravarthy bowled extremely well, even Sunny. And the newcomer provided support. We saw him in trial matches and were extremely happy with the way he bowled. He’s quick through the air, difficult to pick. He’s inexperienced but shows a very good attitude."

A Delhi lad where he plays for their Under-25 team, Suyash’s story was so typical of the IPL shaping the fortunes of young and often unheralded talents, though it’s only the beginning. He was goaded into cricket by his brother primarily as a batter but slowly gravitated to practising leg spin and had just played in local tournaments when he was spotted by the KKR scouts. Thrown into the attack with the top half of RCB batting line-up gone and them struggling at 69 for five, Suyash showed he had the ability to turn the ball ‘both ways,’ a quality which the legendary Shane Warne considered to be a must if one has to succeed at the highest level. His first two deliveries turned from off to leg, while the third was the conventional leg spinner.

Signed at a base price of Rs 2 million, the likes of Suyash would have found it difficult to make it to the playing XI if the concept of impact player was not introduced from this season. The choice of the impact player is based on the match situation and conditions, and Pandit & Co saw the wicket offering some grip to throw the youngster at the deep end of the tunnel. He responded brilliantly, betraying no nerves in front of a full house and even having a trademark celebration ready – touching his team crest and throwing his arms wide as if to implore himself to calm down.

 It’s a job well begun for Suyash.