In 2016, former Delhi cricketer Kartar Nath got a call from friend Suresh Batra, who passed away in 2021, about a very “promising leg-spinner”. Kartar was then managing the Dena Bank team for the DDCA league and often roped in young and talented cricketers for the tournament. Batra’s words were taken seriously in the Delhi circuit as the late coach prepared Virat Kohli During his formative years in West Delhi Cricket The academy and was instrumental in shaping the careers of India Under-19 opener Manjot Kalra and Delhi cricketer Varun Sood.
Kartar heeded Batra’s request and summoned Suyash Sharma to the trial. The 54-year-old watched the leggy’s X-Factor and was amazed at the amount of turns his googly generated. He was not a leg spinner in the traditional mold as the traditional leggy did not turn and the googly was very difficult to pick.
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“I remember getting a call from late Suresh Batra in 2016 regarding Suyash. We immediately called them in for a test and were very impressed. Iska googly bahut turn hota hai (His googly turns a lot) And it’s very hard to read. That was the X-factor in that. So we decided to rope him into Dena Bank and convinced him to play in the DDCA league. In the league, he took a lot of wickets for us and kept troubling quality batsmen,” recalls Kartar.
Suyash continued to play for Dena Bank but could not take the next step. Kartar fought hard for his ward but was not able to convince the people in DDCA. In 2019, when Suyash was nearing an Under-19 call-up for the state, the lack of proper documentation made him ineligible and the wait got longer.
“I managed to watch him for the U-19 trials at DDCA in 2019, but I did not know that his birth certificate was not available. Not having a birth certificate meant he was not considered for the next stage. He was impressive in trial games and in the nets, but lack of paperwork cost him the opportunity that year,” says Kartar.
There were more hurdles for young Suyash as COVID-19 brought cricketing activities to a halt the following year and when the action resumed in 2021, the leg-spinner was not even called for a trial in the DDCA. Patience was running out in the Sharma family and the family wanted him to stop playing cricket as his career was going nowhere. Kartar urges Suyyash’s mother to have patience.
“He comes from a middle-class family and has two siblings – an elder brother and a sister. Naturally, the family was running out of patience and his mother wanted him to stop playing cricket. I requested her to be patient and asked for more time as the child was special. Dena Bank team was disbanded, then after merger with Bank of Baroda I asked him to play league for Madras club. He did well there and was finally called for trials for Delhi U-25 last year.
Will get support from an old friend and senior
The Delhi Under-25 trial was a make-or-break opportunity and Kartar called up his old friend and senior colleague Gursharan Singh, who was part of the DDCA. Cricket Advisory Committee in the last session. Suyash was called for trials where he impressed and made it to the Delhi Under-25 team.
“Yes, Kartar approached me and I have known him for a long time. I assured him that every talented cricketer will get a fair chance and Suyash was one of them. He did well in the trial games and impressed the coach and selectors and we all realized that his googly was difficult to read. It is not important for me to turn the ball very far. Even a small tweak and a lot of precision can make a big difference. Suyash was precise and had the big googly,” says Gursharan.
Breaking into the Delhi U-25 team was not easy for the leg-spinner as he faced resistance. There were some who didn’t want him on the team and were looking for loopholes through his paperwork. The timely intervention of DDCA president Rohan Jaitley ensured that everything was sorted out before the playing XI was announced.
“There were some issues but the President was made aware of his talent and he ensured that a talented cricketer like Suyash gets his due,” says Gursharan.
IPL tests
While the stint with Delhi U-25 was not a great one, Suyash caught the eye of scouts with his googlies and was on the radar of both Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders. The youngster went on trial for both MI and KKR before bagging a Rs 20 lakh bid from the two-time IPL winners.
The players who attended the trials with Suyash revealed that he did exceptionally well in the trials for KKR taking several wickets in the practice matches and troubling the senior batsmen in the nets.
“He went on trial for both KKR and MI and took wickets for both the franchises in the camps. I also spoke to Rahul Shanghvi at MI and he was also interested in Suyyash. Eventually KKR got him and finally got his cricketing journey back on track. He did well on debut for them and there is still a long way to go,” says Kartar.
It has been a tough seven years for Suyash but he finally got his big moment on Thursday with a blockbuster debut against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. And Shahrukh Khan in the stand. It cannot be bigger than this.
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