At the Holkar Stadium last Saturday, Gurjapneet Singh donned Tamil Nadu’s yellow in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to kick-start his T20 career. In about five months from now, when the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) unfolds, the tall left-arm fast bowler will put on another shade of yellow that elicits an explosion of noise in and around the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai every summer.
He is a Chennai Super King now, having earned a ticket to the big league on Monday after the five-time IPL champion secured the 26-year-old’s signature with a bid of ₹2.2 crore to outdo competition from Gujarat Titans. The set-up at CSK won’t be entirely unfamiliar for the turban-wearing Sikh from Ambala, who moved down south to Chennai in search of a cricketing future in 2017. He has been a net bowler at the franchise for the past few seasons.
“When my name came up in the auction, I got nervous. But then I was really happy that CSK picked me. It’s very satisfying,” Gurjapneet told The Hindu on Tuesday on the sidelines of a practice session ahead of Tamil Nadu’s clash against Baroda.
The T20 format has been kind to Gurjapneet. It was in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) in 2021 that he first made an impression, given his ability to nail the yorker among other variations for Dindigul Dragons. The opportunity of bowling to the likes of M.S. Dhoni at the CSK nets has only helped in enhancing his skills for the shortest format. He has also had a good start to his First Class career, with 13 wickets in four Ranji Trophy matches in his debut season.
“In T20 cricket, you have to work on variations, I have constantly developed my skills. Now I feel I am in that comfort zone in T20s where I know my strengths. Bowling the yorker is my strength. For every fast bowler, yorkers and slower ones are a must. You have to mix things up according to the batter you are up against. That is what game awareness is about,” he said.
Published – November 26, 2024 07:24 pm IST
