Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi, the two star bowlers from India’s victorious Under-19 World Cup campaign in 2018, bowled a fantastic spell against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020 clash.
Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi were the two stars for India during their victorious Under-19 World Cup campaign in 2018 in New Zealand. Bowling close to 90 mph and getting extra zip and bounce from the wickets, Mavi and Nagarkoti were touted as the next superstars of Indian cricket. When both these bowlers were acquired by Kolkata Knight Riders, it looked to be their first step towards even further recognition. However, a combination of injuries for both Mavi and Nagarkoti dented their progress slightly.
Although Mavi played a couple of games in IPL 2019, Kamlesh Nagarkoti’s stress fracture on his back was severe enough to rule him out of action for a couple of years. Mavi, too, took his time to get back into peak fitness. Before the start of IPL 2020, both Mavi and Nagarkoti had intense bowling drills monitored closely by former New Zealand pacer and Kolkata Knight Riders bowling coach Kyle Mills. Nagarkoti and Mavi looked stronger than ever, with Mills confirming that both players had regained their strengths in the areas where they had suffered injuries.
Mavi was one of the stand-out performers for Kolkata Knight Riders against Mumbai Indians while Nagarkoti made his debut against Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, in the game against Rajasthan Royals, both Mavi and Nagarkoti put on a display of bowling that stunned all experts and commentators. Mavi exploited the conditions by bowling it full and at pace and he broke the back of the Rajasthan Royals batting line-up by dismissing Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson. The wicket of Samson was huge, considering that he had hit two fifties and was in prime power-hitting form.
With Mavi breaking the Rajasthan Royals morale, Nagarkoti ensured that he never took the foot of the throat of the opponents and he went for the kill. He got the wickets of Robin Uthappa and Riyan Parag while he also took two catches in the outfield to seal a stylish win for Kolkata Knight Riders
Pride from Dinesh Karthik
In the post-match press conference, Karthik was absolutely over the moon by the performances of both Mavi and Nagarkoti. “Just the fact to see both these boys out there playing for us, representing our franchise…The fact that we stuck with them and just to see them out there, it's so happy. The fact that they're bowling well and fielding well is a bonus, but just to see them out there. I've been wanting to see them since the time they played the World Cup. It's just great to see them both on the field,” Karthik said.
During the match, the comments from Mavi and Nagarkoti showed that they judged the conditions well and knew what was the plan. “The situation was a bit in our favour when I came to bowl. Just wanted to keep my plans simple and execute them. I want to thank my family, the KKR support staff and everyone else who have stood by me,” Nagarkoti said.
Mavi, who won the Man of the Match award, said, “When I started bowling, it was seaming. So I thought I'll stick to normal lines and lengths. Before the game we thought it would be flatter. So I just stuck to a length. Have played against these big stars before, but I knew it wasn't coming onto the bat.”
The display of Nagarkoti and Mavi have shown that patience and perseverance pays. For Kolkata Knight Riders, both youngsters are returning the favour in grand style.
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 "Kamlesh Nagarkoti Shivam Mavi KKR IPL 2020")
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