On Pitch: Assam Net Bowler Recalls His Dubai IPL Experience And Ryan Parag’s Bihu
Silchar’s Rahul Singh was among three youths from Assam who were selected as net bowlers for Rajasthan Royals
Abdul Wadood
Rahul Singh’s journey from practising bowling in the streets of Silchar during the lockdown to the nets for the Rajasthan Royals in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 was unexpected but thrilling at the same time. He was selected by the franchise as a member of the net bowlers’ squad at United Arab Emirates where the match was held.
“All the team members travelled in the same flight together, and I was incredibly happy to be able to be a part of the team with such big names,” said Rahul, recalling how he had to undergo tests for COVID-19 at different airports and the subsequent quarantine of seven days after reaching Dubai.
After the quarantine, Rahul was taken to the ICC Cricket academy for the net practice — a “dream come true” for the cricketer from Assam. He bowled to some of the most well-known names in cricket such as Steve Smith, David Miller and Jos Buttler.
But it was a challenging task for him as well, since he had bowled after a long gap in the nets owing to the lockdown that hindered his regular practice sessions in Silchar. Somehow, he was able to make use of the sprawling backyard at his residence and the streets for continuing the practice.
“As a spinner, I was mostly bowling to the middle-order batsmen in the team, and I cannot express how excited I was when I ran in to bowl to these famous batsmen,” Rahul explained. In particular, he had developed a bonding with Rajasthan Royals skipper Steve Smith who always offered tips and helped the youngsters.
Off the field, both the coaches – Shane Warne of Rajasthan Royals and spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule — invariably enlighten all the bowlers on the constant to vary the line and length in the T20 matches.
Rahul was among three youths from Assam who were selected as net bowlers for Rajasthan Royals. The other two are – spinner Jitumoni Kalita and pacer Mrinmoy Dutta.
And what made Rahul’s session in Dubai even more unforgettable was his emulation of Riyan Parag’s impromptu Bihu dance for a few seconds after hitting a six to win against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Speaking about the day when Riyan Parag broke into an impromptu Bihu dance, Rahul recounts how happy and proud they were to see the Assamese culture being put up at such a big stage. “When we saw him (Riyan) dancing Bihu on the ground, we also started to dance Bihu in the dugout. Honestly speaking, being an Assamese, I really felt proud that day, and I think all Assamese must have felt the same.”