Delhi-based coach Sanjay Bharadwaj recalled the initial struggles of Mumbai Indians’ latest IPL 2022 recruit Kumar Kartikeya Singh.
In his initial few games for MI, Singh has caught everyone’s attention with his great mix of googlies, wrong uns, and carrom ball apart from the usual fingerspin with the left-arm angle. But very few know that six months back, all that the 24-year-old could do was bowl orthodox spin until Bharadwaj persuaded him to add greater edge to his bowling.
The player worked day and night to give his left-arm spin greater range and a bag of tricks to get on top of the batters. Extensive work on and off the field has been a part of the bowler’s life from an early age when he decided to pursue his cricketing dreams aged 15.
Having promised his father, a PAC constable, that he wouldn’t have to pay for his son’s cricketing kit and other expenses, Singh went on the look out for an academy that would waive off his fees and allow him to focus on cricket. After a long search, Bharadwaj came to his rescue.
“His action was so smooth. His use of fingers imparted action on the ball,”
Bharadwaj told ESPNcricinfo, reminiscing of a trial where after just one delivery the coach agreed to rope in the young cricketer under his tutelage.
Once that box was ticked, Singh had to make sure his food and accommodation were taken care of. To do so, he started working as a factory labourer in Masuri, about 80 km away from where the academy was in Delhi. He had to work all night at the factory and then come back all the way to the academy for his practice sessions, sometimes walking long distances to save money.
Bharadwaj revealed when he came to know of it, he ensured Singh got his accommodation done along with the academy’s cook, who would also offer him proper meals.
“When the cook gave him lunch, Kartikeya began to cry: he hadn’t eaten lunch for a year,”
the coach remembers.
From there, Singh began to work his way up through the Delhi circuit before DDCA rejected him during an open trial for the senior domestic men’s side. Bharadwaj, who had seen the same happen to veteran legspinner Amit Mishra, asked the bowler to switch states and he found his new home with Madhya Pradesh.
A player spotted by MI’s robust scouting team, the 24-year-old has now played nine first-class, 19 List A and 10 T20 games in his young career.
