Exclusive: Former KKR Pacer Prithvi Raj Opens Up On His KKR Stint, IPL 2020 And His Aspirations Ahead

CricketAddictor.com caught up with former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) left-arm pacer, Prithvi Raj in an exclusive interview. Prithvi Raj discussed on a whole lot of contemporary issues on cricket as well as on his stint with the 2-time IPL champions.

The Kolkata Knight Riders bought Prithvi Raj in the 2019 IPL auction for Rs. 20 Lakh as one of the Indian uncapped players. Prithvi represents Andhra Pradesh in the Ranji trophy which is his domestic state team. He had the opportunity to play for KKR in a couple of games in IPL 2020. His maiden IPL wicket came in the form of David Warner, which is by far his only wicket in the prestigious cash-rich tournament.

Now that the decorated franchise has released Prithvi Raj, he has discussed on a lot of aspects exclusively with CricketAddictor.com. Catch some excerpts from the interview here.

Prithvi Raj Opens Up On His KKR Stint And Dinesh Karthik As A Skipper

Talking about his stint with KKR, Prithvi says, “The atmosphere back in KKR was very nice and the first day itself, I was actually a little nervous going into the team as it was my first IPL season. I was a little tensed but Dinesh Karthik came up to me and actually he knew how to speak in Telugu and he asked me in Telugu if I was doing okay and if I needed something. He made me feel very comfortable. I was a little nervous for the first couple of days and after that, I belong over there.”

Prithvi Raj had no hesitation in stating that he would love to return to Kolkata Knight Riders as he has been a KKR fan since the very beginning. “I would definitely love to go back to KKR because right from the first year of IPL, I was a KKR fan. I loved the way the team won their matches and kind of atmosphere that I saw on TV and I went and experienced, I think its just amazing. I would definitely love to go back to KKR,” Prithvi said.

Prithvi Raj Not In Favour Of Cricket In Contemporary Times

The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has taken the entire world aback by its wrath. Cricketing action has also suffered a huge blow due to the pandemic. One of the major tournament that has suffered is IPL 2020 as it has been suspended indefinitely in the wake of the virus. However, there have been voices stating to hold the games behind closed doors, but Prithvi Raj feels that it is not necessary to play cricket at the moment.

“I think the focus right now should be to stay safe and follow government orders and guidelines, we should strictly follow them. If the virus dies down, and if there are chances for us to play, I don’t see any reason to can’t go out and play. But as of now, we have to wait for it to settle,” said Prithvi.

Prithvi Raj Talks About His Favourites In The Game

When asked about who has been the most challenging batsman that he has faced, Prithvi said, “Andre Russell is the one batsmen in the nets who has challenged me a lot. David Warner is the one player on the field who has been the most challenging batsman for me.”

Speaking about his bowling favourites, Prithvi said that Jasprit Bumrah is undoubtedly the best Indian fast bowler presently. He further noted that Mitchell Johnson had been the best-ever fast bowler and his successor, Mitchell Starc, is the best international fast bowler presently.

Talking about his IPL 2020 contenders, Prithvi Raj picked Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Kolkata Knight Riders as the favourites to win the title. His personal preference, however, was his former team, the Kolkata Knight Riders.

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