IPL 2019: Kamlesh Nagarkoti pleasantly surprised after KKR retained him

Earlier this year, India U19, captained by Prithvi Shaw, won the World Cup in New Zealand. A number of prodigious talents made their presence felt, one of them was fast bowler Kamlesh Nagarkoti. He picked up nine wickets in the tournament and clocked over 150 kmph on a consistent basis. He was duly rewarded and was listed in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction at a base price of INR 20 lakh.

As many as three teams- Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), went after him with all their might. In the end, the Knights bagged him for a whopping INR 3.2 crore. To the right-arm speedster’s agony, he developed a back injury prior to the event and therefore was ruled out. After February 14, the 18-year-old hasn’t played a single competitive match.

Nevertheless, KKR have named him the list of retained players for the upcoming season and the same has surprised the pacer to a large extent. “I can’t believe that I didn’t play a game and they still retained me. It shows the trust KKR has in my abilities. I also hope to do well for them when I play,” Nagarkoti was quoted as saying in Sportstar.

I will first focus on my recovery process

As far as his injury is concerned, he has visited a couple of physiotherapists and is under a treatment, borne by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). “I still have pain on my back. There is no confirmation by when can I recover but I feel it will take two more months. One asked to go for surgery, the second physician said it’s not required and the injury will heal on its own,” he iterated.

As of now, Nagarkoti has only played eight List A matches, two of which has come this year for his state Rajasthan in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Recently, he has got a call for Rajasthan to play in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy, but he isn’t confident about his chances of getting fit within the Ranji season. He is currently under the supervision of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore.

“I got a call but I don’t think I can be fit within the Ranji tenure because I will need to be match-fit. I need to train. I can’t get in directly. I will first focus on my recovery process. I keep thinking when can I resume. I keep talking to the physios at the NCA. They tell me the suitable programmes to follow to get closer to being fit. I try to follow their instructions,” he added.

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