I Didn’t Get Support From My Association When I Was Close To India Call-up: Shadab Jakati
Oct 12, 2017 at 2:29 PM
Coming from a state of Goa and then bagging an IPL contract is never an easy task for a player. However, Shadab Jakati just did not bag an IPL contract but also came close to selection in the Indian cricket team. However, lack of support form the state association, as he claims, kept him away from the India cap and the dream did not fulfil.
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Still, the 36-year-old layer continues to be the mainstay for Goa, a state for which he still plies his trade,
“I do believe I had a good chance to play for India in the 2009-2011 period. But the kind of support a player needs, I didn’t get that from my association. In future, I hope our boys get the same kind of exposure that players from other states get; that culture needs to come into Goa cricket. If any Goa player ends up representing India, it will make a huge difference for the state,” Jakati told Sportstar.
Jakati had a crucial role in Chennai Super Kings’s successful campaign in 2010, where he scalped 13 wickets. After spending few years with CSK though, he was dropped from the side before he went on to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Lions.
Now when CSK is all set to make an IPL comeback after a ban of two years, the left-arm spinner is hopeful that he might play for the franchise again,
“I hope so, but it depends. They will obviously look at the current crop of players but if I have a good season like last year, why not?” he added.
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Once a star for CSK, Jakati keeps the young players motivated by sharing his CSK tales with the teammates, which might come handy for the young players,
“I try to share my CSK tales with the young cricketers of Goa. Dhoni made it easy for players, but there is a difference when playing for a side like CSK — with almost 15 match-winners — and Goa (which isn’t known for producing champions),” he said.
It is to be noted that Goa is yet to win any season of Ranji Trophy and the last time they had a good season was way back in 2008/09 when they qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament.
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