Published: Apr 20, 2022, 05:13 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 20, 2022, 05:13 PM (IST)
New Delhi: Suresh Raina is no longer a part in the Indian Premier League as a player but his presence is still felt in the cash-rich league. In the ongoing 2022 season, he is part of the Hindi commentary team but 21-year old SRH pacer Kartik Tyagi still remembers the day when Suresh Raina entered his life like a ‘God’ and encouraged him to do better.
“Like I always say one thing, that after Under-16, Suresh Raina entered my life like a god because people started to recognise me when I was selected for Ranji Trophy. When I was 13, I participated in the Under-14 trials and this is where my cricketing journey began. I started playing for the Under-14 team and then Under-16. In the U-16, there was a season where I got 50 wickets in 7 matches. That is where the selectors started noticing that there is a player who has been taking a lot of wickets at the State level. Despite taking plenty of wickets, we reached the finals but lost. It was there that Gyanendra Pandey sir spotted me and he said that he was impressed by my performances and he will promote me going forward,” Tyagi said in a video uploaded by Sunrisers Hyderabad on Twitter.
All the best @tyagiktk go well brother 👍 https://t.co/QwioDQgvJy
Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) April 19, 2022
“From there I reached the State Ranji Trophy camp. When I arrived, I was just a 16-year-old youngster while the others were established players. Then there was an incident where Suresh Raina had also come. I used to be very silent and was observing everything. He was about to leave after his practice, but I don’t know why he came back to the ground. He then approached me and asked me about what was my role. I told him that I was a bowler and then he gave me a chance to bowl in the nets. He saw my performance and told me that ‘I liked your bowling and I will ensure you get chances in the future”’, he said.
”Personally, for me, it was a good thing that someone like Suresh Raina noticed my performance.”
”I was a little shocked that such a big player has complimented me and for a moment, I thought that he was joking. When he said that I was doing well, I still couldn’t believe that I will get a chance to play in the coming days. After that, it was quite shocking for me that my name was shortlisted in the UP Ranji team. My Ranji career started from there and later I progressed to the Under-19 team and eventually played the Under-19 World Cup”, he added.
