10 Facts about Rahul Sharma the tall leg spinner

A tall leg-spinner capable of extracting extra bounce, Rahul Sharma made a name for himself with impressive performances in the Indian Premier League 2011. He bowls at a faster pace than traditional leg spin bowlers, more in the Anil Kumble mould, and also possesses an excellent googly. In fact, Rahul considers the former India skipper his idol and he has always received good support for the legendary spinner during the tough phases in his career.

1. Birth:   

Rahul Sharma was born on 30^th November in Jalandhar, Punjab, India.

2. Early impressions:

Rahul Sharma started as a medium pacer but soon turned to leg spin on his coach’s advice. Rahul Sharma made his debut in first-class cricket on 25 December 2006 for Punjab against Rajasthan but had to wait till 2009 to play again.

 3. The comeback season:

In 2009-10 season of the Ranji Trophy, Rahul Sharma took 13 wickets in seven first-class games, however, played only one Ranji match in the 2010-11 season.

4. Indian Premier League:

In 2010, Rahul Sharma made his IPL debut for the now-defunct Deccan Chargers taking 5 wickets from 6 matches. He had an economy rate of 8.08 runs per over.

5. Breakthrough IPL season:

In IPL 2011, Rahul Sharma made a name for himself with some superb bowling performances for the now defunct Pune Warriors. His figures of 4-0-7-2 against Mumbai Indians created a buzz and his name trended on Twitter in India. This was the most economical spell of the IPL 2011.

6. ODI debut:

Impressive performances helped him find a place in the Indian ODI squad for the home series against England in October 2011. Rahul Sharma did not get to play a game, however, had a memorable ODI debut in the next home series taking 3/43 against the visiting West Indies at Indore; this remains the best spell in his ODI career. He has played 4 matches taking 6 wickets at an average of 29.50 and an economy of 5.15.

7. T20I career:

Rahul Sharma made his T20I debut for India in the 1st T20 of the series against Australia at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney. He injured his finger while bowling his first over but came back later to continue bowling and finished with a spell of 1/27 from 3.4 overs. In the next match at Melbourne he took 2/29 from 3.4 overs; this was the last time he featured in the Indian T20I side.

8. Bell’s Palsy:

Rahul Sharma had suffered from a form of facial paralysis called Bell’s Palsy a few days before the beginning of the 2010 IPL. This facial nerve dysfunction affected his vision however he worked with doctors in order to recover enough to return to cricket.

9. Drugs controversy:

Rahul and his Pune Warriors team-mate, the South Africa fast bowler Wayne Parnell, were among 90 people detained following a rave party at a hotel in Mumbai on 20/5/2012. This was a day after the Warriors’ IPL 2012 campaign had ended. According to reports, recreational drugs were consumed at the party. Both players were charged for consuming drugs in March 2013 year but were allowed to play in the IPL that year.

10. 5/23 against West Indies A:

The drug controversy affected his game and he had a tough one year however he made a mark in 2013 playing for India A. He took his maiden five-for in T20 cricket helping India A win the only T20 against West Indies A by 93 runs in Bangalore in September 2013. Having got the permission to continue cricket he was picked by the Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2014 and the Chennai Super Kings in 2015.