Young, simple and forever polite- that is Ankit Rajpoot for you. As much engaged in witnessing on-field action as away from the starry limelight. Not an awful lot is known about Ankit Rajpoot. And not a great deal may be written anytime soon. It seems the mild-mannered cricketer may not make for exciting cricketing fodder. For in his scope, contesting cleanly and focusing on bowling thoughtfully matters most.
Ankit Rajpoot: A Studious Talent
You wonder whether Ankit Rajput’s utter simplicity and non-fashionability are responsible for this? He doesn’t have blue streaks in the hair like a Pandya. His gentle measured run-up doesn’t remind you of an angered bull. He doesn’t like staring batsmen in the eye. Before you bat an eyelid, he’s done with a quick chat- when required in the middle- as he escapes to the fielding position in the outfield.
Moreover, his celebratory style- whether congratulating a fellow Hyderabadi or rejoicing a wicket off his own- is simple.
But on April 26, as King’s XI completed a mindless run against the Sunrisers Hyderbad, exiting before 13 more runs were needed, all eyes were on Ankit Rajpoot. Even as the right armer emerged on the losing side, the earnest athlete having taken IPL 2018’s best bowling figures.
And must it be noted, even if you desperately searched for some, there was no sign of hype. Let alone a firework in the skies.
Scalping IPL 2018’s best bowling feat
In any cricketing contest- figures of 5-14 off 4 overs are bound to meet lasting celebrations. This was, lest it is forgotten, a T20 game. They say, a contest so skewed to batsmen and undoubtedly, a lair of the white-ball smashers. But under the watchful eyes of an KXIP’s young pacer, the batsmen weren’t allowed to settle.What was impressive, as previously seen in the games against DD and KKR was the use of yorker. Apart from eliminating SRH’s top-order, comprising of the dangerous Williamson, Rajpoot ended Manish Pandey’s long vigil at the middle.
He confounded the middle-order through a clever use of variations. You were dared to think even a Virat may not have blocked the dead-accurate yorker that uprooted Pandey.
Where blokes like Trent Boult, Umesh Yadav and Andre Russell are being credited for exploiting their talents ably through yorkers, Rajpoot stuck it out for King’s XI. Ever so silently and without deafening the crowds in wild celebration.
A talented exponent of the yorker
When was the last time, you wondered, you’d seen a T20 bowler in an IPL emerge with an economy of 3.5? This IPL- like previous editions- features the scintillating talents of Narine, Chahal, McClenaghan, Kuldeep Yadav and others.
It ought to be asked, did we give Ankit Rajpoot- who entered the contest against King’s XI- at the back of figures like 2/23 versus Delhi- any chance?
As the Kanpur-born seamer, one rated highly by none other than Venkatesh Prasad enters the second leg for his King’s XI, there’ll be hope to see the promise manifest into more match-winning performances.
