Chetan Sakariya
Chetan Sakariya. Image: IPL/BCCI.

Delhi Capitals’ left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya feels that 2022 will be the year where his personality and abilities as a cricketer will prosper tremendously. 2021 was a mishmash for Sakariya, who lost his brother because of suicide and saw his dad passing on from Covid-19.

Yet, on the cricketing front, Sakariya had loads of things to be content about, dazzling everybody in his most memorable time of IPL by picking 14 wickets for Rajasthan Royals. The great appearance in Rajasthan’s tones in the main portion of IPL 2021 impelled him to make his ODI and T20I debuts for India against Sri Lanka in July.

A Lot Depends On How Your Second Year Goes: Chetan Sakariya

Chetan Sakariya, IPL 2022
Chetan Sakariya (Credits: BCCI/IPL)

Presently, in his second year of IPL with Delhi, Chetan Sakariya’s attention is solidly on his advancement as a cricketer.  

“Personally, I have got to learn a lot. The first year went well for me but I have observed that with every cricketer. But for a cricketer, a lot depends on how his second year goes. This year is a little difficult but I feel that from this year, my character will develop and my cricketing skills will emerge better.

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The way I will handle pressure situations and if I take out one or two matches for the team, it will be good for my personal development and will be able to put up better performances in future,” said Sakariya to IANS.

With Delhi having loads of choices among pacers, it has implied that Sakariya has played only two games in the competition with overall figures of 1/61. The competition for pace bowling openings in Delhi’s eleven is something which, as indicated by Sakariya, has brought the speed bunch nearer.

“Delhi Capitals has all types of (bowling) options available, be it speed-wise, skill-wise or swing-wise. It motivates the fast bowlers to put their best foot forward because the margin of error is very less. At the same time, we are very good friends with each other and share our experiences, which is good for a fast-bowling combination.”

Working On Perfecting My Yorker: Chetan Sakariya

Despite remaining uninvolved for most of the competition, it possesses carried energy for Sakariya to explicitly chip away at working on his yorker.

Chetan Sakariya
Chetan Sakariya (Image Credit: Twitter)

“After coming into DC, I have worked very hard on one thing: yorker. My yorker has now been strengthened a lot. Previously, I used to bowl 50 per cent yorker and if someone told me to bowl six balls, I could have executed only three.”

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“Now, it has increased to four or five out of six. While sitting on the sidelines, I worked really hard on it. When the pitches were being made this year, I was seeing which ball will be more effective to add to my armoury. So, this is why I have worked a lot on my yorker and has sharpened a lot more now.”

Chetan Sakariya Shares His Experience With Ricky Ponting And Rishabh Pant

In his experience with Delhi, Sakariya has been captivated by how head coach Ricky Ponting focuses on each player in the camp.

“Longer the time I spend with DC, the more I am getting impressed with him. When the team is in a difficult situation, he lifts up all players and tries to create an atmosphere like when someone cracks a joke in the group.

“He will come personally to you to say, ‘You be prepared as per the match scenario as you can play anytime and are on our radar’. He takes care of each player individually. So, I am getting more impressed by him in my time with DC.”

Chetan Sakariya and Rishabh Pant (Image Credits: Twitter)
Chetan Sakariya and Rishabh Pant (Image Credits: Twitter)

Asked about how he sees Rishabh Pant as the captain, Sakariya remarked, “Rishabh bhaiya is calm. He himself observes the whole situation and pressure scenarios around it. He takes responsibility on himself to prove that he can take the team out of this situation. When players do well, all the credit goes to him but the pressure and difficult situation, he takes it on himself, which is what a leader does.”

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Former Team-mate Helping Chetan Sakariya

Chetan Sakariya’s appearance in Delhi has likewise rejoined him with his former Rajasthan partner, Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman. Sakariya uncovered he has been attempting to find out about keeping things basic and trying to avoid panicking from his kindred left-arm pacer.

Mustafizur Rahman
Mustafizur Rahman (Image Credit: Twitter)

“I had opened the bowling with him last year (in Rajasthan). But this year, Mustafizur tells to keep things simple all the time as the conditions are tough for fast bowling. He keeps saying ‘keep it simple’, bowl as per the field and see his strengths as well as weakness.

“He comes prepared but when he comes in the match, he keeps things simple. What it does is that one can keep calm, on which he has mastery and I am working on it too. Whenever I have gone to him, he always keeps giving these suggestions.”

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