Ankit Rajpoot's journey from being a back-up bowler to the leader of KXIP pace battery

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) coach Mike Hesson praised young pacer Ankit Rajpoor just ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 12 and the bowler showed that he is very much capable, delivering in the first match against Rajasthan Royals (RR), taking two wickets for 33 runs in allotted four overs.

Rajpoot did not feature in the Kings’ playing XI in their second game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday. However, his exclusion did not quite suit the Punjab side as they were clobbered by KKR batsmen around the park and the visitors conceded 218 runs in 20 overs.

Rajpoot, 25, though would not like to see his absence from the Kings side continuing for long. It has already taken the bowler six long years to transform himself from a back-up bowler in the KKR team to become a leader of the KXIP pace battery along with India spearhead Mohammed Shami.

Rajpoot took his first giant step in the IPL in the 2013 edition when he got the wicket of former Australia captain Ricky Ponting while bowling for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, Rajpoot’s stay in the CSK was limited to just two games as he succumbed to a groin injury. The impact of the injury even saw him going unsold in the next season.

It was then a hard training at the MRF Pace Foundation that Rajpoot found his next franchise -KKR. His productive performance in the 2014-15 Ranji Trophy and 2016 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy brought him to the notice of the Kolkata franchise. However, he remained a back-up bowler in the KKR. “I was a back-up bowler for Umesh (Yadav) bhai. I performed decently in all my limited chances,” The Times of India (TOI) quoted him as saying.

Great experience playing alongside Shami, says Rajpoot

When asked if he feared getting eclipsed by an established Shami in KXIP, Rajpoot replied straight. “There lies the difference between KKR and KXIP. Punjab gives importance to Indian bowlers, while Kolkata was the opposite. It would play only two of them. Now, even if I get five matches, my aim is to perform consistently in each,” the young bowler said, adding that playing alongside Shami is a great experience.

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