Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Nitish Rana hailed Suyash Sharma as the X-factor player for the two-time champions in IPL 2023. The 19-year-old made his professional debut for Kolkata Knight Riders bagging impressive three wickets on his IPL debut.
Suyash Sharma hasn’t played any List A, FC, or T20 games before the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore but made an impressive debut picking up the wickets of Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, and Karn Sharma in his first game.
“Suyash Sharma is not a mystery spinner. He’s a normal leg-spinner. But yes, he has an X-factor because his arm speed is very quick. He has an orthodox (unorthodox) action and it’s not easy to pick him. He is very quick in the air. If the batter is in doubt over whether the ball is a googly or a leg-spinner, 100 percent he is in trouble,” Nitish Rana said.
Suyash Sharma made his debut as an impact player in place of Venkatesh Iyer in the 2nd innings and proved his worth straight away in the match as Suyash showed the ability to turn the ball both ways. Speaking about Suyash’s performance, KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit said
“We have seen him at trial matches. He is very quick in the air, and it’s very tough to pick him. It’s just the inexperience, but he showed a fighting attitude,” he added.
Coming into the match, With KKR struggling at one stage, Shardul Thakur played a blistering inning along with young Rinku Singh to post a mammoth total of 204/7 at the end of 20 overs.
With 205 to chase, Royal Challengers Bangalore found no match for the two-time champions as the batters fell in packs as were bundled out 123 runs inside 18 overs. Varun Chakravarthy, Suyash Sharma, and Sunil Narine damaged the RCB batting lineup picking up 9 wickets for their team.
I Cannot Give A Better Gift To My Supporters – Nitish Rana On KKR’s Win
Nitish Rana expressed his happiness to play in front of full-packed Eden Gardens after three long years and added that the team was to put a smile on the face of their supporters and thanked the fans for their support throughout the match. Eden Gardens was known as one iconic stadium in India and Kolkata Knight Riders have a good record in their home conditions.
“We have waited for a long time. We are coming back after three years. As a captain, I cannot give a better gift to my supporters. I have played here during my first two years (with KKR) and I know how loud the crowd is here. I would like to thank the crowd,” he added.
Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Gujarat Titans in their third game in Narendra Modi Stadium on April 9. The two-time champions will look to continue their winning momentum against the Defending Champions.