Published: Feb 16, 2022, 12:06 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 16, 2022, 12:06 PM (IST)
New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir skipper, Ian Dev Singh Chauhan, named after famed all-rounders- Ian Botham and Kapil Dev will be leading the J&K Ranji Trophy side on Thursday when they take on Pondicherry in an Elite Group C match in Chennai. The 32-year old wicket-keeper batter, who started his career as a bowler is the all-time leading run-getter for J&K in First-Class cricket with over 5000+ runs under his belt and the avid MS Dhoni fan aims to make a mark in the ongoing Ranji Trophy by surprising the big teams in India’s major domestic tournament. In an exclusive chat with India.com, Ian Dev shares J&K’s preparation for the tournament, his valuable advise to budding youngsters and his take on Sunrisers Hyderabad’s finest boys, his teammates- Umran Malik and Abdul Samad.
Ian Dev, who gave up his lucrative job of a software engineer to concentrate on cricket, says he wants to go one step at a time and contribute in the best way possible in the upcoming Ranji Trophy League Phase games.
‘I just want to go step by step, one game at a time. I am coming back after a gap of one and a half years and couldn’t play cricket because of some circumstances. My role is to lead the team at the moment and I would like to get the best out of everyone. I am trying to motivate them and create an environment where everyone wants to win for the team and in that span if I can contribute in winning of the team, it would be helpful for the team as well’, the J&K skipper told.
Umran Malik and Abdul Samad are two of the biggest rising stars in Jammu & Kashmir cricket, specially Malik who headlined the last IPL, when he clocked the fastest ball by an Indian in the cash-rich league. Singh was all in praise for the two SRH players.
‘He is a very special talent (Malik), very hard working. Both of the youngsters, Umran Malik and Abdul Samad are giving out their best. This is their time and they want to do well and are working hard on their game. Let’s hope for the best and wish to see them in India colors as soon as possible.’
The skipper is proud of what the team has achieved with limited infrastructure and has sent out a clear cut message to all the big teams that a good momentum shift will set the tone for them in the tournament.
‘If somebody is watching our team and see the kind of hard work we put in, despite of having limited infrastructure- I see it’s still commendable, we are at the moment in Elite league. No one can take that away from us. We just need a momentum, a good start, which we are lacking this season so far. The moment we get it, we will be exceptional and will be able to surprise big teams very easily’, a confident Ian Dev sounded.
On asked about his IPL aspirations he said that if the franchises see something in him they will go after him but if it doesn’t happen, he would have no hard feelings because as a cricketer his foremost goal has always been to represent India. To all the budding youngsters, he would like to pass on this same mindset as the Indian Premier League is just another tournament and it’s important to perform well in the domestic circuit for a future India call-up.
‘I have always prepared myself for representing India first. If I am doing well and the franchises see something in me then they would buy me and if not, I don’t have anything against them. I would urge all the youngsters to have this thing in their head. IPL is something, if it comes their way, then it’s fine and if it not, they shouldn’t be shattered as it’s just another tournament. If you do well in domestic, you’ll still have hopes to play for India A and for the senior team’, he said.
20-year old fast bowler, Rasikh Dar has been picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Auction for the 2022 season and becomes the third J&K player to feature for the 15th edition of the league. He was previously part of the Mumbai Indians 2019 team. Ian Dev says it’s a good comeback for him and he will surely work hard for his place.
‘He played the u-25 tournament for us, he did pretty well there and got a bit injured. It is a good comeback for him there that he is getting picked for another IPL team. It’s a big boost for him and he’s gonna work hard for that.’
The wicket-keeper batsman have named Henan Malik, former captain Subham Pundir, Abid Mustaq, Auqib Nabi and Mujtuba Yousuf as some of the top talents to watch out for.
‘We have the likes of Henan Malik, he’s a young batsman. He did well in the U-25 and he did well in the Ranji Trophy One-Days as well. We have Shubham Pundir as well, he’s a very good promising player. He was our skipper before but he’s focusing more on his game right now. There are many like Abid Mustaq, Auqib Nabi, Mujtuba Yousuf. Everyone is gearing up to do well whenever they get an opportunity’, he added.
As part of the preparations for the Ranji Trophy, Dev has told that they are training as an unit and everyone is pumped up and looking forward to the tournament.
‘The whole bunch of players, the 20 boys, everyone is important for us. We are training as an unit, so nobody is pointing out something to someone. It’s a team game and each and everyone would like to come out on their best. Everyone is pumped up, everyone is working hard and looking forward to the tournament coming up’, he told.
Lastly Ian Dev has thanked ex India international, Sanjeev Sharma who is the coach of the team for getting the team through in this time of pandemic and have thanked the entire management comprising of Sandeep Singh (Manager), Chirag Pandya (Physio), Manu Sharma (Trainer) and Nishant Bardoli (Fielding coach), all of them playing an important part in the preparation camp in Chennai leading up to the tournament.
