The Chepauk audience went wild with cheers around the moment when Shivam Dube was destroying the Gujarat Titans at home with both pace and spin. Though the CSK faithful have shown Dube a lot of love, this particular moment of affection was not meant for him. The stadium’s sound levels increased when MS Dhoni appeared to be warming up and putting on his gloves, possibly in preparation to bat the final few deliveries.
The expectation was further heightened when Dube was dismissed on the second ball of the 19th over, but Sameer Rizvi chose to bat at a deficit of four runs. However, the reason for so was that a spinner was in operation at the death.
“When Rashid came to bowl in the 19th over, the coach [Stephen Fleming] told me if a wicket falls, you will go out to bat,” Rizvi said on Friday. “I decided after that that since it was the 19th over and a spinner was bowling, anyone who entered the field would be expected to smash boundaries if they were sending me at this stage of the match. Thus, I was very aware that I had to go out and make a big splash because that was the only thought running through my mind.”
The 20-year-old demonstrated this degree of clarity in his batting as he easily slog-swept Rashid for a six from the opening ball of the event. Rizvi gave Rashid the advantage in that over by hitting his second six over long off. CSK selected Rizvi based on his ability to stop spin, going deep in the bidding war. Then, when he had a chance, he gave them a peek of it.
“If you look at my previous matches, I have always been playing well against spinners,” Rizvi stated. “I’ve been playing great against spin even at the nets. Tanqib Akhtar, my uncle, used to throw tennis balls in a 30-yard circle to make me practice batting against spin when I was a child. He would declare that it would be a six if it left that 30-yard circle. So, over the years, we continued to practice gradually.”
Following the team’s victory over GT, Michael Hussey, the batting coach for CSK, showered Rizvi with accolades for his ability to hit. He has a great deal of natural hitting talent. It has been demonstrated in practice, particularly against the spinners. He has a great long-range and crisp hitting stroke.
“It’s still a tall order for a rookie guy to enter his first IPL match and hit the opening ball for a six against Rashid Khan, who is perhaps the greatest T20 bowler of all time. That is absurd. We’re thus really happy for him.”
The tyro’s jitters were calmed by his opportunity to only field in the season opener versus RCB as he grew accustomed to the large Chepauk crowd. “I got my first cap before I ever set foot on the field at the team meeting. I then discovered that I was taking part in the opening match. Although I never got to bat, I was a little anxious as I was fielding. However, I relaxed a little and didn’t feel anxious during the second game because there was no pressure. After the game, I believe I grew accustomed to the crowd, which is why I didn’t feel as under pressure,” Rizvi remarked.
CSK has made it a point to reassure the tyro that the price tag is unimportant as they ease him into life in the IPL after beating out competition from GT and DC to sign Rizvi for a whooping INR 8.40 crore.
“No pressure is present. Price doesn’t ever affect a player’s performance or scoring totals, according to Rizvi. “My brother, MS Bhaiya, has advised me to concentrate on my performance because everyone’s experience has a distinct cost. What matters most is how you function and handle pressure.”
“It was a very nice feeling to be picked by CSK,” he stated. “To meet and play with Mahi bhaiya was my dream.” And that dream came true. Aside from that, I honestly did not think I would be selected for this amount by CSK or any other franchise. However, I felt that they [CSK] had faith in me, and that was really nice. The fact that everyone on this team supports one another and is so helpful is one of my favorite things about it,” he continued.
