Rajasthan Royals’ new recruit Chetan Sakariya applauded Director of Cricketing Operations Kumar Sangakkara and captain Sanju Samson for boosting his morale during his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut against Punjab Kings.
In his first game, Sakariya recorded the impressive figures of 3-31 in his four overs after Punjab Kings posted a big figure of 221. The young player managed to take out KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, and Jhye Richardson.
“Sanga sir told me bowl according to your understanding and back yourself. If it lands in the right area the whole credit will go to you and if didn’t work, we will help you. The same thing Sanju bhai did, he gave me full freedom and said I will give you the field of your choice,” the pacer said in a video posted on the Royals’ website.
“I got to know in the team meeting before the match that I will play in the next match. Since then, I was trying to mentally prepare myself for the opportunity.
“When I was bowling the first ball, I felt the pressure but after that, I felt it is normal cricket. The wicket of KL Rahul was special for me as we saved a lot of runs by sending him back to the pavilion,” he added.
When asked about the impressive dive catch of Nicholas Pooran that he took, Sakariya said, “I remembered my coach’s advice who told me to always be prepared for the dive and I implemented on that. The ball got stuck on the hand.
“We lost a hard-fought game so I don’t consider this as a defeat. We will learn from here and rectify our mistakes in the next game. Sanju bhaiya showed his class as he is playing IPL for such a long time. It is very pleasing to watch him play. He times the ball very easily and effortlessly,” he added.
Sakariya was chosen by Rajasthan Royals for ₹1.2 crore in the players’ auction held in February this year. Interestingly, Sakariya filled up for a net bowler with the Virat Kohli-led side Royal Challengers.
(With Agency inputs)
