He credited Irfan Pathan for raising his game.
Jammu and Kashmir’s all-rounder Abdul Samad on Tuesday (29 September) became the third player from the union territory to debut in Indian Premier League (IPL) when he turned up for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in an IPL 2020 clash against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Abu Dhabi.
The 18-year-old Samad, who earned a reputation of being a big-hitter at the domestic circuit, didn’t get much balls to play against DC, but managed to make his presence felt with his unbeaten 12 off 7 balls in SRH's total of 162 for 4 at a strike rate of over 171 in his debut game.
The right-hander made heads turn with his brutal hitting in the last domestic season, amassing 592 runs with the help of a season-record tally of 36 sixes at a strike rate of over 100 in 10 matches to help J&K to reach the quarter-finals in the Ranji Trophy – the show earned him 20 lakh IPL 2020 contract with SRH.
Ahead of SRH’s next IPL 2020 contest against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Friday (2nd October) in Dubai, the youngster from Rajouri has recalled how the motivation given by Hyderabad coaches VVS Laxman and Muttiah Muralitharan helped him conquer his nerves and get the job done on his debut.
Samad told Sports Today: “There wasn't any pressure at that time. I was very excited before the match. I got a chance to play and that's one of the best moments. When I came into bat, there were 2 overs left. Laxman sir and Muralitharan sir told me to go in and play my game. I was doing just that.”
He further added, “All that was in my mind was I wanted to score as much as possible and take my team to a good total. I got a big shot out (6 off Anrich Nortje) but I want to keep doing well for the team. I got a lot of confidence from that shot. It was the last ball of the second last over. After that, I got only three balls. But that shot has given me the confidence to do well in the rest of the tournament.”
The young all-rounder further credited Irfan Pathan, the player-cum-mentor at Jammu and Kashmir, for his improved game saying he has learnt a lot from former Indian all-rounder.
The SRH batsman further added, “I have learnt a lot from Irfan Pathan, sir. We all know how big a player he is. He has been working with us as a mentor for quite some time. He helps us a lot with the batsman's mentality, match situations and he supports us a lot.”
Samad became the only third player from Jammu and Kashmir after Parvez Rasool and Rasikh Salam who got the opportunity to play in the IPL and the youngster believes at least one player will feature in the IPL from J&K every season from here on with the help of Pathan's guidance.
He signed off, “There is no dearth of talent in our state. This is why cricket in Jammu and Kashmir has developed leaps and bounds over the last 2 years. Since Irfan Pathan sir came on board to mentor us, our game has improved. I believe, every year, there will be a new player in the IPL from our state.”
(With India Today Inputs)