Ankit Rajpoot who hails from Uttar Pradesh is eager to share the new ball as a pacer with England’s star quick Jofra Archer in his maiden season with the Rajasthan Royals in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League in 2020. Ankit Rajpoot represented Kings XI Punjab in last season but was successfully traded by them to Rajasthan Royals for the 2020 season.
Ankit Rajpoot has not featured for India in any format but may be a contender in near future. In 23 IPL matches, he has picked up 22 wickets averaging only 27.95, his best figures being 5/14.
Ankit Rajpoot Is Happy To Be In Rajasthan Royals Team And Excited To Share New Ball With Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer is a West Indian cricketer who plays in international cricket for England having debuted in 2019 and has so far represented England in 10 Tests and 14 ODIs where he has picked up 38 and 23 wickets respectively. He was not in the preliminary squad for 2019 World Cup but was included in the final fifteen man squad and played all the matches for the World Cup winners. He has also performed equally well in IPL and has picked up 26 wickets in 21 matches averaging only 23.69.
“Rajasthan is a team who gives a lot of opportunities and chances to youngsters. I am really happy to be with the Royals. I am sure I will get a lot of opportunities and learn a lot from this team. It’s a new start for me and I am prepared for it,” Ankit, who has played 23 IPL matches and claimed 22 wickets so far, told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview.
“I am so excited to share the new ball with Jofra Archer. A batsman cannot judge him and figure out what delivery he is going to bowl. He has the ability to bowl six different variations in an over and will change the speed as well. He bowls without any pressure. If you see his run up and approach, he is very calm and relaxed. I am really looking forward to learning a lot from him,” the captain of the Uttar Pradesh Ranji team said.
Ankit Rajpoot who is of 26 years age represented the Chennai Super Kings franchise in the 2013 edition. He played under the regular captain of CSK Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who recently announced retirement from international cricket but will continue to play IPL.
He made his debut against Mumbai Indians and claimed the wicket of Ricky Ponting in his very first over and his figures read 1/25 from 3 overs.
He was unsold but in 2016, he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders and played two seasons with them but got a limited opportunity as he could only play a handful of IPL matches. In the 2018 IPL player auction, Kings XI Punjab paid Rs 3 crores to buy him. But after an average 2019, he was released again but Rajasthan Royals bought him this time around.
Ankit Rajpoot Credits Ashwin And Sehwag Besides Picking Dream Spell Against SRH
Ankit Rajpoot gives credit to his then captain of KXIP Ravichandran Ashwin and Virender Sehwag who was the head of cricket operations and strategy for the Punjab outfit Kings XI in the 2018 edition for his good run.
“I was playing the third match for KXIP. I had already won a Man of the Match award in the previous game against Delhi Capitals. The confidence was there and I wanted to do something different in that match.
“Ashwin bhai came and said ‘you are my wicket-taking bowler. Runs don’t matter, go and take wickets with the new ball’. I bowled three overs in the Powerplay and claimed three wickets. Manish Pandey’s catch was dropped in that Powerplay, otherwise it would have been four wickets. I was in a perfect zone in that match as things were going my way. I was not focusing on my pace, I was focusing majorly on swing,” he said.
“Viru paa’s (Virender Sehwag’s) tips in the tournament helped me a lot. Ahead of the match vs SRH, Viru paa came and said ‘Ankit, you are a good bowler. Don’t focus on the pace much, accuracy is very important’. I followed the same. When I was given the ball, I just focused on swing and some particular areas and the result was in front of us,” the 26 year old told TimesofIndia.com.
On being asked about his best IPL memory so far, Ankit said: “There are two. First – when I took a five-wicket haul vs SRH. Second, my spell against Chennai Super Kings in 2018. I had bowled 18 dots in 4 overs and dismissed Sam Billings. I cannot forget that spell.”
Ankit Rajpoot bowled one maiden over giving away only 19 runs returning bowling figures of 2/19 in 4 overs and he also clean bowled England’s Sam Billings. In a previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he picked up 5 wickets giving away only 14 runs in 4 overs.
Playing for KXIP, Ankit produced a spectacular bowling spell against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He dismissed Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Wriddhiman Saha, Manish Pandey and Mohammad Nabi to claim a five-wicket haul. His magnificent bowling spell also earned him the Man of the Match award. Besides, he registered the best bowling figures by an uncapped player in IPL.