Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti set fire to fast weapons in India’s undefeated race to the 2018 U19 World Cup title in New Zealand and downed stumps for speedy fun. The Kolkata Knight Riders were so impressed with them that they got Nagarkoti (INR 3.2 crore) and Mavi (INR 3 crore) on board for IPL 2018.
The Knight Riders’ plan was to unleash them together on useful terrain in Eden Gardens and ambush the oppositions. However, while Mavi made fleeting appearances for the Knight Riders in 2018 and was out of the entire 2019 IPL, Nagarkoti had not played any top-notch cricket, save for two games of the Ranji Trophy for Rajasthan, after winning the World Cup. U19. Cup.
Over two years later, they were both back in shape and played together for the Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi. In between, another group of under-19 stars emerged when India reached the World Cup final in South Africa earlier this year, their former under-19 teammates Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw made their senior debut, one of their former teammates. sub-19. 19 opponents Tom Banton enjoyed stints in the Big Bash League and the Pakistan Super League before becoming teammates with Nagarkoti and Mavi for the 2020 IPL. During the time that Mavi and Nagarkoti were on the sidelines, the coronavirus pandemic struck to the world, driving IPL from India to the United Arab Emirates. If the IPL had started in April-May earlier this year, Mavi would not have been in shape as she was still recovering from a stress fracture in her back that she had suffered in December 2019.
Both Nagarkoti and Mavi ran out of ground against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Abu Dhabi, although the Knight Riders secured their first points. But against the Rajasthan Royals in Dubai, it all came together for Nagarkoti, Mavi and the Knight Riders management, who have been relentlessly supporting the pair despite their injury history.
The Knight Riders had similarly endorsed Andre Russell before, after he missed the 2017 IPL due to a doping violation. That was expected as Russell ranks among the best T20 players ever. However, Mavi and Nagarkoti were not tested in T20 cricket. In fact, Nagarkoti had not played a single T20 before this IPL. However, the team management kept reiterating that they were “special” talents and cared for them as a loving father would care for his children when any other franchise might have abandoned them.
“I literally feel like he’s one of my kids, he’s that age, and I think he has the same emotion towards me,” Venky Mysore, KKR CEO, recently said of Nagarkoti.
On Wednesday, Nagarkoti and Mavi swept through the Royals’ batting lineup courtesy of their hustle on the ball and on the field, providing a throwback to 2018, when they had thrilled players like Ian Bishop and Sourav Ganguly, and brought the losers back. Knight Riders’ faith in them.
Nagarkoti was also a lead on the field, showing the world why his captain Dinesh Karthik compares his field to that of Ravindra Jadeja. When Robin Uthappa hit Mavi in front of him at a backward point, he lunged from there, pounced on the ball, and landed an armpit punch that nearly ran out of Jos Buttler. Then in the fifteenth, Nagarkoti sprinted to his left from longitude, dove almost parallel to the ground, and caught a blow from Jofra Archer even though he was drifting out of reach into longitude. Spotting the ball under the lights and catching it has been a challenge for other fielders in Dubai (up to ten regulation catches have been spilled at this location in just six games) but not for Nagarkoti. He showed them how to do it in style.
It was Mavi who set the stage for the emphatic defense by firing the fit Sanju Samson and the dangerous Buttler in successive outings on either side of the power game. After having Samson splice a short midwicket on a 135km / h delivery that packed the batter for space, he switched his lines wider and Buttler cut a short third-man catch.
Nagarkoti took over immediately and eliminated Uthappa and Riyan Parag in the next over and accelerated his pace to 143 km / h to harass Tom Curran. The boy from Rajasthan was commanding the Rajasthan Royals. With 42 of 5 in pursuit of 175, it is game over for the Royals.
However, this (re) union of Nagarkoti and Mavi could well be the beginning of something “special”, as the Knight Riders have been anticipating for more than two years. So how delighted was the team leadership with Nagarkoti and Mavi’s heroics?
“That’s something I really wanted to answer! Just seeing these two guys playing for us, representing our franchise … The fact that we stayed with them and just seeing them there, it’s so happy,” Karthik said effusively. the post-game press conference. “The fact that they are bowling well and playing well is a bonus, but just seeing them out there. I’ve wanted to see them since they played the World Cup. [in 2018]. It’s great to see them both on the field. “
Long-awaited match-winning returns from Nagarkoti and Mavi added so much depth to the Knight Riders’ attack that they didn’t need their main spinner Kuldeep Yadav until the 16th against the tail.
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