'You get a reality check playing in Mumbai' - SRH batter Shashank Singh opens up on cricket journey

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) new batting star Shashank Singh played an excellent knock of unbeaten 25 runs in just six balls in a group stage encounter of the Indian Premier League (IPL) against the new entrants Gujarat Titans (GT) recently. The right-handed batter stroked one four and three big maximums to ensure that the Orange Army cross the 190+ run mark in their 20 overs.

To note, Shashank has purchased at his base price of INR 20 lakhs by SRH during IPL 2022 mega auction. The 30-year-old has now opened up about the beginning of his cricketing career. The batter also said that he performed well in the local tournaments in Madhya Pradesh, but he was given a harsh reality check once he arrived in Mumbai to take his career forward.

You go to Shivaji Park, Azad Maidan, and see players more talented than you: Shashank Singh

In an interview with SRH, the 30-year-old stated that the quality and the number of players waiting to get an opportunity opened his eyes and pushed him to be at his best.

“When I came to Mumbai, I was 17, I was young and I felt like coming from a small city from Bhopal and seeing the competition there. You go to Shivaji Park, you go to Azad Maidan, you see the talent there. Because the district is very small and you know that you are scoring runs at the school level, you are scoring runs at the district level, so you are very talented and you will play,” Shashank said.

“But when you come to Mumbai, you get a reality check that there are players that are more talented than you who have scored more runs than you, are more experienced than you, and are younger than you,” he further added.

The right-handed batter also paid gratitude to his family for showing faith in him and encouraging him to continue his passion. Meanwhile, his team SRH will take on the defending champions CSK in their next match to be played on May 1 (Sunday).