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Veteran pacer Sandeep Sharma has always flown under the radar when it comes to some of the big names in the Indian Premier League despite being among the regulars in the tournament since he burst onto the scene with his phenomenal show in 2014 for Punjab (formerly Kings XI). Categorised as a new-ball specialist, Sandeep, 28, holds the record for the most ever powerplay wickets in IPL history and also owns a unique feat of being the only bowler in the tournament to have ever dismissed the famed batting trio of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in a single match.
Sandeep’s most impactful season was in 2014 when he had finished with 18 wickets – the most in the seventh edition of IPL – and subsequently impressed India selectors to be rewarded with a national team call-up. However, Sandeep struggled to get an extended run, getting dropped after playing just two games in a low-key Zimbabwe tour owing to a shoulder injury. It was there that Sandeep slipped under the shadows.
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Eight years later, after “growing as a bowler” at Sunrisers Hyderabad, Sandeep, who is back at Punjab Kings after four seasons, still harbours hope of an India call-up and feels he is “one good season” away from reliving his dream. In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Sandeep shed light on his return to PBKS, the key to bowling in the powerplay and the phenomenal 2017 spell against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Excerpts from the interview…
Firstly, how does it feel to be back at Punjab Kings. The last time you were here, it was still Kings XI Punjab and you were a pivotal member of the squad that reached the IPL final, picking 18 wickets in 2014?
Obviously, it feels great. I played five seasons for them and the franchise had given me my first-ever opportunity to play the IPL. So, this franchise has always been close to my heart. In the 2018 auction I was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad but I always wanted to come back here and play. So, it feels great to come back here and the franchise has made me and the players feel good and provided that homely environment.
A lot of talk around the batting strength of Punjab Kings, but what do you reckon about the bowling department?
Our bowling department is good as well. If you see the last match, we had chased the score in the 19th over and had that 15-20 run margin. In T20 cricket, when the wicket is fine the discussion is always that we try to keep the score 5 to 10 runs below the expected mark so that helps during run chases. And the bowling unit, I feel is great. You saw Odean Smith in the last game who made his debut. Slowly, the new players will get into the rhythm and will get better. Then we have Arshdeep Singh who performed well last season, and he too will get into the rhythm. Rahul Chahar is also there. So overall we have got good bowlers who have already performed well in previous editions. The plan is always to restrict the opponent to as low a score as possible.
Sandeep Sharma has been known as a powerplay specialist in IPL. What is the key to bowling with the new ball in T20 cricket and how has it evolved now with so much data and analytics available?
It is very important to know your strength and at the same time, it is very important to use those two fielders correctly and effectively. I have been always been very particular about those two fielders and how I can use them and how I can bowl according to the field. Then at the same time every year, you have to bring something new. Like I felt the key is to bowl the knuckleball. I learned to use the knuckleball with swing bowling. It helps. But at the same time, as you mentioned, with so much data available, bowling to the batter’s weakness is very important and you have to do it consistently. And these weaknesses keep changing because every year batters also try to improve themselves. So there are data saying that this batsman is not playing these shots well. So bowling to their weakness and backing your strength are the key things. And I feel I have done well in using those two fielders during powerplay overs and I hope I continue that.
Powerplay bowling was your role with Punjab Kings when you were last here, but your role changed in SRH with Bhuvneshwar Kumar leading the attack. Which one do you cherish more? And what is your role now in PBKS as a bowler?
I actually cherish both roles, but I strongly feel that I grew more as a bowler in SRH. I was a one-dimensional bowler when I was here before. But when I went to SRH, Bhuvesnhwar was there, who was taking care of the new ball. So for me to play, I had to do something else. They used me a lot during the middle overs and in the death overs and as a bowler I got that confidence and belief that I can bowl in any over. Before SRH happened, I never bowled in the 7th or the 11th over…seldom.
In the last game, my role was to bowl two overs upfront and two overs in the death. When Rabada comes, the role might change… let’s see. Also, these bowling roles change according to matches and according to match situations.
Another record held by you is your number against Virat Kohli. No T20 bowler has dismissed him as many times as you (7). Are you aware of that? Is that something that plays on your mind or in particular a bowler’s mind when they are up against a batter whom they have dismissed so many times?
Yes, of course, many people have actually told me this. Sometimes it does but every day is a new day. So you may have dismissed a batsman many times, but every match is a new match. I actually, don’t think that way. But yes. I do feel that these things do play in a bowler’s mind and the same goes for batters as well, because you must have noticed them playing such bowlers with a little more care.
Since we are talking about Kohli, could you talk us through that 2017 spell against RCB with the new ball where you dismissed Chris Gayle, Kohli and AB de Villiers?
That is of course a special match for me and I cherish that match a lot. But I feel that for any bowler it would have been a very big moment in their career because all those three were at their peak and they are all one of the greats of the game and to get all of them out in a single match. I feel very happy knowing that the moment is part of my life.
What is the dream wicket you would want to take in IPL 2022?
My dream wicket will be Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni). I am yet to dismiss him as a bowler.
Is the India dream still alive?
Yes, for sure. Unless that dream is still not alive you can’t put in the hard work. I am only 28 and I feel that it is only a matter of one good season and I can be there.
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